Project Profile: Restoration to Improve Trail Use in Acadia National Park

Trail at Great Meadow Wetland at Acadia National Park

Photo by Catherine Schmitt, Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Recreation | FY22-23 $700,000

The National Park Service will restore the highly visited 100-acre Great Meadow wetland of Acadia National Park by replacing or installing culverts, building raised boardwalks, managing invasive plants, planting native plants, and remediating man-made landscape alterations. The project will also improve fish passage and restore and measurably reduce flooding of trails.

Why? Trails, culverts, and abandoned roads altered the flow of water through the wetlands and extreme precipitation events driven by climate change are causing trails and other visitor areas to flood more frequently. Increasing visitation is putting additional pressure on the natural areas near trails and road overlooks. This project will restore the Great Meadow Wetland ecosystem for recreation and climate-smart management.

What else? As part of this project, Acadia National Park is collaborating with Tribes and hiring Indigenous youth to integrate indigenous science and ways of knowing into the restoration of an ecologically important and valued wetland.

Learn More About This Project

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes critical investments in the resilience and restoration of America’s lands, skies, and waters, and enhances conservation and recreation opportunities. Visitors will see tangible results such as repaired and upgraded trails and campgrounds, removal of invasive species, as well as healthy wetlands, grasslands, and forests.