-
Carriage roads within the park are now open for all users.
April 18, 2012: All carriage roads in the park are now open to walkers, bicyclists, and horses. More »
-
Trail Closures
The Precipice Trail, Orange & Black Path (formerly the East Face Trail), and Valley Cove Trail are closed to protect nesting peregrine falcons. Call 207-288-3338, ext. 0, for more information. More »
Field Guide to Marine Invertebrates - Echinoderms
Asterias rubens ("northern sea star") can be purple, reddish brown, orange, or yellow. It commonly feeds on blue mussels, restricting their lower range on the shore. 
Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis ("green sea urchin") is found in the lower intertidal zone in tide pools and is abundant in the subtidal zone. In a natural cycle, large groups of urchins eat their way through kelp beds to create “urchin barrens” where seaweeds are scarce; then, the urchin population decreases because of lack of food, allowing the kelp beds to recover. Recent overfishing of urchins on the Maine coast caused notable increases in kelp populations near the shore.
Photos by Sarah Hall.
|
Did You Know?
The Guide's Guide to Acadia National Park, originally created to share important information about the park's facilities and natural and cultural resources with commercial guides, is available to the public on this website. The guide contains everything you would want to know about the park. More...