Project Profile: Restore Great Meadow Integrity and Improve Access

Visitors enjoying Great Meadow Wetland trail network.

Catherine Schmitt, Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Recreation | FY23 $200,000

The National Park Service in partnership with Friends of Acadia and Schoodic Institute will restore the ecological integrity of the Great Meadow wetland and improve the recreational trail network accessing the wetland in Acadia National Park. This project will include managing invasive plants, planting native plants appropriate for future climates to improve wildlife viewing opportunities, plugging ditches in the wetland to improve hydrology, and installing culverts and boardwalk to improve recreation value of trails and reduce flooding. These actions will greatly improve hydrology, reduce flooding, and improve climate resilience of recreation opportunities on the trail network in the wetland.

Why? Recreational experiences in Great Meadow, the largest freshwater wetland and one of the most-visited sites in Acadia National Park, have been degraded by climate change-related flooding and invasive plants. Improving wetland hydrology will reduce flooding of trails and improve habitat for native plants. Climate-smart restoration of native plants in areas where invasives have been removed can substantially reduce reinvasion, improve the cost-effectiveness of invasive species management, and improve wildlife viewing for visitors.

What Else? This project is part of a sustained effort by Acadia National Park and its partners to restore the ecological integrity of the wetland. Project accomplishment include raising a trail as a boardwalk, managing invasive plants, and restoring a portion of the wetland.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – Ecosystem Restoration

This project was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – Ecosystem Restoration, signed on November 15, 2021. It is a historic investment in the restoration and protection of the environment.