Learn what it's like to work in the park's visitor center, entrance station, and campgrounds.

August 13, 2009. Today was my last day at Blackwoods, and a lovely conclusion to a lovely summer. I did a little of everything:I zipped around on the moped for morning rounds, answered lots of questions in the kiosk, and swore in at least five junior rangers. The campground is certainly hopping! With the sun,cool breeze, and end of summer fast approaching, we’ve been steadily busy all week. There’s never a dull moment in the kiosk with campers steadily flowing in and out asking about great hikes, whale watching, biking, kayaking, tide pooling,or the weather forecast (which, for a change, features the sun on every single day—I can’t believe it!!)

I must say I’ve had a truly enjoyable summer. I experienced first-hand the inner workings of a national park, met some amazing people, and mingled with wildlife in its natural habitat. Blackwoods Campground’s old forest draped in moss and lichen provided a serene working environment and the Blackwoods rangers worked well together this summer. I head home on Monday morning, and so I will bid Acadia farewell. Happy trails, until we meet again!

—Bernadette

August 9, 2009. My helping of Maine summer splendor is almost completely consumed. I have seven days left of this enriching delight to enjoy before I head back to Michigan, and I intend to make the most of every one.

Tonight as I roamed the campground for midnight rounds, I pondered the concept of national parks. As I check in park visitors who camp at Blackwoods, I notice they’ve travelled from all over the globe—Canada, France, Israel, Germany, Korea, Australia, Scotland—just to come here. A national park brings people together. We may speak different languages, but we all visit Acadia for a taste of Maine landscapes, fresh ocean air, night-time silence, great hikes.

National parks connect people distanced not only by geography, but also time. Think about it. Samuel Champlain, an early explorer of Mount Desert Island; George Dorr, the Father of Acadia; and the rusticators of the nineteenth century experienced the same Acadian beauty we experience today. They beheld Maine’s distant rolling hills while hiking Mound Desert’s mountains. They gazed upon the expansive ocean stretching to the horizon, and worked to share this secret beauty with future generations—with us.

Hooray for national parks connecting people of different lands and times!

—Bernadette

August 6, 2009. Greetings again from Acadia! We are now in August; lots of things have been going on throughout the past month and the park is starting to get busy. July started off kind of slow, mainly due to the weather. It has been raining here a lot and it has been colder than normal. Or so I’ve been told, remember I’m not a local! The weather has really warmed up quite a bit the last week or two and it is starting to be nice out on a regular basis—this really brings the people out and into the park! We have been getting extremely busy at the visitor center with a line of people out the door waiting to get passes. At times you have to force yourself to stop and think about what you are doing because it gets so crazy! Oh well, at least when it is crazy the time goes by fast. Last Thursday was nice because I got to go on a rove assignment in the park. Roving is basically when you go out to either: 1. interact with visitors and help them enjoy the park more, or 2. go out and explore so that you can learn more about the park. My rove followed option two. I got to explore the Carroll Homestead area in the park. This area was a home to a family in the area up until 1917 when they left the home to move into the town of Bar Harbor. The site features the Carroll family home and also some remains of stonework foundations from buildings that used to be on the property. It was nice to be able to get out and explore!

One of the great things about working in parks is the opportunity to meet other people and also to explore a different area of the country. This past month has been full of opportunities to meet other people as there is always something going on, whether it’s a potluck at headquarters, a bonfire at someone’s house, or just hanging out with new friends. Working in parks is a great way to meet new people that have similar interests as you and enjoy doing the same things as you. From working in the parks I have made some close friendships and have also learned a lot about myself through these friendships.

One of my favorite things to do has been to explore the island and also more of the state of Maine. I have discovered some of my favorite spots in the park, which include the Bass Harbor Head Light and the Eagle Lake carriage roads. I enjoy getting out in the park and hiking and seeing the land. I traveled up to the Schoodic Peninsula section of the park. This area has amazing views of the water, as long as the fog hasn’t rolled in! I also had a chance to travel to the Saint Croix Island International Historic Site in Maine and the Campobello International Peace Park in Canada. Saint Croix is neat and they have these amazing almost lifelike sculptures of people depicting different events that happened at the settlement there. It was a neat experience. I also enjoyed traveling to Campobello. Campobello was Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s summer home in New Brunswick, Canada. This home is amazing and the grounds are beautiful. It’s neat to see how both the United States and Canada work to preserve this special place.

Well, until next time, have a good one!

—Kellie

July 28, 2009 (Later That Day. . .). Well, the weather held up! The day ended as beautifully as it began, and I mowed away until the sun sank behind the tree line. Sweet grass and cool evening air waved good-bye to me as I drove from the kiosk, another busy day at the campground under my belt. I had time for a quick hike up the Bear Brook Trail on the north ridge of Champlain Mountain before heading home, so I watched the sun set behind Dorr and Cadillac from Champlain’s summit. Gorgeous! The sun cast shadows on the hills, giving the landscape a mystic appearance. To think I work in a place as enchanting as this!

After sunset I stopped by Echo Lake to gaze upon the scattered stars above, and I saw a barred owl!! He (or she) sat upon a sign, and as I approached, it flew into a tree. It sat incredibly still, head curiously cocked to the side, as I briefly shined my flashlight on it. Owls are fascinating creatures. I savor these daily reminders that life is full of natural wonders. Thank you Acadia, home of beautiful sunsets, naturally dark skies, and lovely nocturnal aviators.

—Bernadette

July 28, 2009. SUN! After rainy weekend and cloudy, misty Monday, the sun shines upon bright blue skies and some wispy cirrus clouds. This morning I actually needed sunglasses as I buzzed around on the moped for 10 o’clock rounds. The rain has left the campground smelling fresher than ever as some lingering moisture drifts pine, grass, and dirt scents through the air. It’s a beautiful day to get some work done around the campground, and I’m about to mow some grass. More updates to come!

—Bernadette

July 24, 2009. And so concludes another week at Blackwoods. The week started with promising sunshine. We had a gorgeous Sunday with a clear, starry sky to accompany me on night rounds. As I walked the loops keeping an eye, ear, and nose out for unattended fires and noisy campers, campfire smoke lingered in the air and snuggled into my green sweater. A trillion stars illuminated infinity above, accenting the silhouetted evergreen tree line.

The rest of the week steadily grew cloudy, then drizzly, with occasional welcomed visits from the sun. Thankfully the rain held off on Tuesday morning when I volunteered with Friends of Acadia, a nonprofit organization that contributes in many ways to Acadia National Park. We shoveled, raked, and wheel-barrowed to our hearts’ delight along the Jesup Path, where the trail crew had dug out the trail.

Wednesday brought a damp morning but a dry evening for the Bar Harbor Music Festival string concert in our amphitheater! I found the experience rather surreal. The outdoor amphitheater seated a dichotomy between tuxedo clad musicians and hoodie-wearing campers. Classical string symphonies accompanied warblers, thrushes, and red squirrels providing an auditory feast for all.

Today rain poured upon Mount Desert Island, leaving our campground rather soggy. I commend our campers for weathering all moisture and puddles!

—Bernadette

July 15, 2009. Oh, Hello! My name is Bernadette, and I am a park ranger at Blackwoods Campground in Acadia National Park. I herald from the peninsular state of Michigan where I pursue a Biology major and Studio Arts minor at Aquinas College. My official title here is “Visitor Use Assistant,” and rightly so! I am one of the first lovely faces a visitor encounters when rolling in to camp. I sell visitors park passes and assign their camp sites. If visitors have any questions regarding hiking, biking, rainy day activities, ranger-led programs, or even animal/plant/rock/fungi identification, I’m their ranger! I hang out in the kiosk most days checking in campers and answering questions. Once a week I have an “outside day.” After completing the ten o’clock rounds, checking sites for violations, and relieving the morning rangers for lunch, I am free to work outside around the campground. Last week I helped one of our volunteers repair the path to the ocean cliffs. We transported and distributed hard pack along the new trail. Yesterday, I worked with another of our volunteers spreading hard pack around some torn-up intersections. I love manual labor, it keeps my blood flowing, and I like getting outside.

Occasionally, when we’re not too busy, I can step out and explore the campground and talk with campers. Blackwoods has about 300 camp sites, each with its own unique beauty. Because of Maine’s moist, cool atmosphere, moss grows abundantly on the boulders, tree trunks, and ground of our forest, making for a very scenic get-away. Our lush forest provides a home to many woodland creatures including deer, chipmunks, red squirrels, giant leopard slugs, red salamanders, snowfleas, and black throated green warblers. With each walk through the campground comes new fascination about nature’s wonders. Once, I noticed a spider web suspended three feet off the ground between two trees that were eight feet apart!!! It appeared to float in mid air as sunlight accented the delicate strands. Just the other day, I noticed Indian pipes growing just off the path. These white translucent plants grow about three inches tall from the leaf layer on the forest floor. The stem is capped with a downward-arched bulb so the plant resembles a pipe. Indian pipes are saprophytic, meaning they get nutrients from decayed plant matter. The circle of life is fascinating, from baby plants to decayed-plant-eating-organisms. I’m happy my job presents me with fascinating experiences I can share with the many visitors I encounter daily.

I’m equally happy that the mist, fog, and rain have departed and the sun has shone for the past week! After an incredibly soggy June, I’ve learned to savor every ray of sunshine available. I know from experience how difficult it can be to camp with excessive moisture, so I’m glad to see dry weather for our campers, and I look forward to whatever the rest of summer brings. Happy Trails!

—Bernadette

July 1, 2009. Hello, My name is Kellie, and I work at Acadia National Park in fee collection. I am originally from Indiana and graduated from Indiana University in August of 2008 with a degree in Park and Recreation Management. This past winter I served as a Student Conservation Association Intern at Big Bend National Park in southwest Texas. I have been in Maine for about three weeks and let me tell you it has been quite a change! I have been busy with work, unpacking, training, and getting settled. One thing that I was not expecting is all of the rain! It has rained almost every day that I have been here!

I work in the Hulls Cove Visitor Center and am often one of the first rangers that visitors encounter on their trip to Acadia. I spend many hours a day helping visitors figure out what passes to purchase and giving them tips on what to do and see while they are here when I have a chance. Working in the visitor center keeps you busy and it’s definitely a learning experience. It seems every day presents you with a new challenge or something different comes up, but that’s what keeps the job interesting!

I have had the chance to take part in different training activities while I have been here. I got to go on a boat trip to Baker Island which was my favorite part of the training. It was neat to learn about the family that lived there and to get an idea of what it must have been like for them. I was also able to attend a park wide new employee training that familiarized all new employees with the park and also each other. This past weekend I attended a fee collector’s training session where I got to meet fellow fee collectors and also learn a few things too!

Until next time, have a good one!

—Kellie