INTRODUCTION

As part of this commitment, the NPS proposes to make improvements to the visitor and concessionaire facilities at Wildwood Stables. The proposed improvements include landscaping, realigning roads, expanding parking, constructing new facilities, and upgrading existing facilities. Improvements to the site would also involve reconfiguring the layout of visitor and concessionaire facilities

The NPS is seeking public comments on whether the proposed improvements would be appropriate and sufficient in serving a balance of equestrian uses, including carriage rides, day-use access, horse camping, and stabling. This report and the accompanying draft site plan provide information on the proposed improvements. In this report, "visitor" refers to all local and non-local equestrian users and carriage riders.

The NPS also recognizes the need to develop and implement an equestrian use plan for Acadia National Park, which is beyond the scope of this report. In the future, the NPS may prepare an equestrian use plan to identify management objectives and actions for horse use throughout the park. The plan would ensure that all equestrian activities are consistent with the purposes for which the park was established.

PURPOSE AND NEED FOR IMPROVEMENTS

The General Management Plan guides the overall use, development, and management of the park based on NPS laws and management policies, and consultation with the public. For Wildwood Stables, it prescribes the following goals and development guidelines:

Improve Horse and Carriage Concession Services at Wildwood Stables - The stable operation will be improved to provide safe and sanitary facilities that support equestrian use of the carriage road system by both concession patrons and people bringing their own horses. The size and scale of new facilities will be compatible with currently existing structures. Provisions for additional visitor contact and interpretation will be incorporated into the upgraded facilities. Most concession employees will be housed off site; on-site employee housing will be limited to the number of caretakers that are necessary and appropriate. Provisions will be made to separate campers from their horses.

The Commercial Services Plan expands on the General Management Plan by identifying the types and levels of commercial activities that are authorized in Acadia National Park. As stated in the plan, "The goal of the Wildwood Stable concession operation will be to provide a high quality visitor experience in a safe, unhurried, uncrowded manner, and in such a way as to protect the natural, cultural, and aesthetic resources of the park."

In addition to ensuring consistency with these plans, the NPS must consider the potential impacts of the proposed improvements on the environment prior to making any decision to implement them, as prescribed by the National Environmental Policy Act. As part of this process, the NPS will also ensure the protection of any historic and archeological resources that may be present at Wildwood Stables.

PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS

In preparation for the design charette, the NPS completed a draft "Cultural Landscape Inventory and Assessment for Wildwood Stables." A cultural landscape inventory identifies and documents landscapes that are shaped primarily by people, determines their eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places, and assists park managers in identifying research and management needs.

The cultural landscape inventory for Wildwood Stables provided a brief history of the site, documented existing conditions, and made a preliminary evaluation of significance with respect to National Register eligibility. Based on this report, the barn at Wildwood Stables does not appear to be eligible for the National Register. The report explains that the barn is not architecturally distinguished and lacks historic integrity due to the loss of the farmhouse, greenhouse, and other elements that were once part of the site. However, the potential historic significance of the site was not fully addressed, and the report recommended further investigation into whether Wildwood Stables is locally significant as a coastal agrarian estate.

The design charette team used the cultural landscape inventory and the park's General Management Plan as a basis for developing recommendations and preparing the draft site plan, which is titled, "Preferred Development Concept." The following recommendations offer guidance for improving visitor and concessionaire facilities at Wildwood Stables:

Overall Recommendations

• The historic barn remains a visual focus of the site.

• The historic features of the site - barn, granite masonry wall north of the barn, the grove of fruit trees east of the barn, and the rubble stone wall east of the proposed storage bins - are retained.

• Livery operations are associated with the historic barn, but remain visually subordinate to the area. Paddocks are located for operation efficiencies and visual interest. The adjacent open space configuration is flexible and has good capacity for various group sizes.

• The historic barn is converted to visitor contact facility with ticketing area, exhibits, and concession offices. Visitors have access into barn while waiting for carriage rides.

• The entry road has improved turning radius, canopy trees for filtered views, and arrival area equidistant to barn and new visitor comfort station/employee residence.

• Parking is removed from the view corridor and centrally located for visitor and administrative purposes.

• Overflow parking is along the west side of entry road.

• A new carriage access road separate administrative carriage access and visitor traffic.

• Monuments are placed along carriage road access to provide a threshold to historic resource.

• Visitor waiting is adjacent to barn and comfort station is expanded and fenced from access and carriage travel. Visitors are able to view a variety of activities from waiting area.

• Equestrian camper and boarding stables screen camping activities and improve entry road experience. Stables are seasonal and permanent structures. Stables have closer proximity to camping area than the entry road.

• Equestrian campsites are developed in new area with new one way access road.

• Sites are defined with designated parking and camping areas.

• Carriage/auto/trailer/parking area is centrally located to stables and campsites, provides safe access to the carriage road, and accommodates a variety of parking requirements.

• New comfort station/employee housing combines new facilities into single structure that is located to complement historic barn location and character.

• Employee campsites are adjacent to boarding and camp stables as needed for 24-hour response, but visually removed from visitor areas.

Architectural Recommendations

• While the circa 1913 barn is not eligible for the National Register of Historic Places due to the loss of context, the character of the barn will be retained with maintenance actions to preserve the remaining materials. In addition, all new structures will complement the barn through careful consideration of size, proportions, and materials, and the continuation of traditional building patterns.

• The barn and office building will be rehabilitated for visitor and concession services. Rehabilitation will retain the building character with minimal modifications.

• The employee housing and visitor comfort station, combined into a single structure, will complement the barn through careful proportions and materials selections. The building is placed in the approximate location of the former Wildwood farmhouse.

• All livery structures and boarding stables, either permanent or seasonal structures, will also complement the historic barn.

Draft Site Plan: "Preferred Development Concept"

For more information , please visit the following web pages:

View the draft site plan

Read the press release to learn about opportunities to provide feedback