Article

Season of Science: Summer 2022

Two women in uniform in an outdoor setting have a conversation while holding electronic devices.
Liz Halasz (right), an ecology field technician with the Schoodic Institute, assists Emily Lim an Acadia Teacher Fellow, with the use of the iNaturalist app for citizen science during a Bio Blitz along Jesup and Hemlock paths in July 2022.

Photo by Avery Howe, Friends of Acadia

This summer was another busy summer for science in Acadia –

  • We welcomed three new Second Century Stewardship Fellows, who are studying Acadia’s future forests, population genetics of invasive plants, and past and present fire in Acadia.

  • We identified and are responding to a new infestation of hemlock wooly adelgid.

  • And we took time away from the field to start developing a new Resource Stewardship Strategy to help guide the next 20 years of work protecting Acadia’s natural and cultural resources.

That only scratches the surface. Research spanned from citizen science observations of plants and animals (see the map below) to studies of lighting and night skies, to research re-examining archeological specimens and sites along Acadia’s coast. Learn more about Research & Science at Acadia.

New on our website

  • Learning How to Restore Mountain Summits – Story about Chris Nadeau, a Second Century Stewardship fellow, and his work on sustainable summits.
  • Barbara Patterson was a citizen scientist who recorded over 23 years of bird banding data on Mount Desert Island. These data, held in Acadia National Park’s archives, are used for scientists to assess changes over time of bird behavior and activity.

More science happening in Acadia

  • Second Century Stewardship (SCS) at the Schoodic Institute - Announcing 2022 Fellowship Awards, Magazine features lakes research
  • Stories from early career researchers in Acadia - Advice for pursuing an ecology career after graduation; Finding home where land meets water
  • Landscape of Change: Year One Results – Launched on April 19, 2021, Landscape of Change is a collaborative project with Mount Desert Island Historical Society, Acadia National Park, College of the Atlantic, MDI Biological Laboratory, and A Climate to Thrive with the goal of publishing and compiling historical records on the Mount Desert Island environment, and comparing these with contemporary data to document change over time. The Year 1 Final Report presents a summary of 2021 activities, the results of analysis of bird and insect diversity trends, and recommendations for continued work.
Map of Acadia with dots noting location of citizen science observations

Map of citizen science observations in Acadia in 2021

This map shows observations of plants and animals around Acadia submitted through three citizen science apps: eBird, iNaturalist, and Nature’s Notebook. National Park Service managers and researchers around the world use these observations to help us understand how our natural environment is changing and to inform our plans to protect these species. You can participate in these programs when you visit Acadia or right where you live. Just download the apps and start observing.

Some citizen science numbers from 2021:

52,584 total observations

  • 1573 observations on Nature’s Notebook
  • 14001 observations on iNaturalist
  • 37010 observations on eBird

1732 total species

  • 10 species on Nature’s Notebook
  • 1492 species on iNaturalist
  • 230 species on eBird

2208 total observers

  • 17 observers on Nature’s Notebook
  • 1230 observers on iNaturalist
  • 960 observers on eBird

Acadia science published in research journals

  • Alahmed S, L Ross, SMC Smith. 2022. Coastal hydrodynamics and timescales in meso-macrotidal estuaries in the Gulf of Maine: a model study. Estuaries and Coasts doi.org/10.1007/s12237-022-01067-9
  • Ballingall K, K Bell, S Green, B Wyatt. 2022. Maine Trail Visitor Count 2019 to 2021. Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, University of Maine, Orono, Maine.
  • Bolte CE. 2022. Quantifying contributions of climate, geography, and gene flow to divergence: a case study for three North American pines. Dissertation, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia.
  • Crausbay SD, HR Sofaer, AE Cravens, BC Chaffin, KR Clifford, JE Gross, CN Knapp, DJ Lawrence, DR Magness, AJ Miller-Rushing, GW Schuurman, CS Stevens-Rumann. 2022. A science agenda to inform natural resource management decisions in an era of ecological transformation. BioScience 72: 71-90.
  • Dangi TB, T Michaud, R Dumont, T Wheeler. 2022. Differential impacts of COVID-19 on college student tourism jobs: Insights from Vacationland-Maine, USA. Tourism and Hospitality 3: 509-535.
  • Doser JW. 2022. Development and application of hierarchical models for monitoring avian soundscapes, populations, and communities. Dissertation, Michigan State University.
  • Fang J, JA Lutz, HH Shugart, L Wang, F Liu, X Yan. 2022. Continental-scale parameterization and prediction of leaf phenology for the North American forests. Global Ecology and Biogeography. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13533
  • Fowler RA, KA Warner, WG Gawley, JE Saros. 2022. Paleolimnological comparison of algal changes in a clear-versus a brown-water lake over the last two centuries in northeastern U.S.A. Journal of Paleolimnology doi.org/10.1007/s10933-022-00233-0
  • Francisco López AF, EG Heckenauer Barrón, PM Bellow Bugallo. 2022. Contribution to understanding the influence of fires on the mercury cycle: Systematic review, dynamic modeling and application to sustainable hypothetical scenarios. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 194: 707.
  • Gabe T. 2022. What landmarks do visitors remember about a place? The Review of Regional Studies 52: 104-126.
  • Grace JB. 2022. General guidance for custom-built structural equation models. One Ecosystem 7: e72780.
  • Greenberg M. 2022. Environmental and Social Justice Challenges near America’s Most Popular Museums, Parks, Zoos and Other Heritage Attractions. Springer: Cham, Switzerland.
  • Halstead BJ, AM Ray, E Muths, EH Campbell Grant, R Grasso, MJ Adams, K Semple Delaney, J Carlson, BR Hossack. 2022. Looking ahead, guided by the past: The role of U.S. national parks in amphibian research and conservation. Ecological Indicators 136: 108631.
  • Horne L, A DiMatteo-LePape, G Wolf-Gonzalez, V Briones, A Soucy, S De Urioste-Stone. 2022. Climate change planning in a coastal tourism destination, a participatory approach. Tourism and Hospitality Research 45: 285-296.
  • Huta JK. 2022. Nitrate and sulfate atmospheric deposition and visitation in United States national parks. Thesis, Alfred University: Alfred, New York.
  • Kim M-K, JJ Daigle. 2022. Long-term monitoring of vegetation cover changes by remote sensing, Cadillac Mountain summit, Acadia National Park. Parks Stewardship Forum 38: 132-144.
  • Knapp A. 2022. COVID-19 and outdoor recreation in Maine and New Hampshire: Analysis of trends using passive visitation data. Thesis, University of Maine, Orono, Maine.
  • Link AN. 2022. Public Sector Entrepreneurship: Innovative Pricing Policies for U.S. National Parks. Elgar Publishing, Northampton, Massachusetts.
  • Merson M, C Char, M McFarland, NI Hristov, LC Allen. 2022. Feeling accountable: Interpreting park-based science in the 21st century. Journal of Interpretation Research https://doi.org/10.1177/10925872221084576
  • Muscat A. 2022. Identifying umbrella species to inform the conservation of intertidal areas in Acadia National Park. Thesis, University of Maine, Orono, Maine.
  • Nadeau CP, A Giacomazzo, MC Urban. 2022. Cool microrefugia accumulate and conserve biodiversity under climate change. Global Change Biology doi:10.1111/gcb.16143
  • Nelson S, C McDonough MacKenzie, TL Morelli, J Wason, B Wentzell, R Hovel, G Hodgkins, A Miller-Rushing, D Miller, S Tatko, A Cross, M Pounch. Introduction: Climate change in the mountains of Maine and the Northeast. Northeastern Naturalist 28: ii-ix.
  • Ranco D, J Haverkamp. 2022. Storying Indigenous (life)worlds: An introduction. Genealogy 6: 25.
  • Smith TE. 2022. Taxonomic revision and list of Cyanophyta from the New England States, USA. International Journal on Algae. 24: 29-62.
  • Spernbauer B, C Monz, JW Smith. 2022. The effects and trade-offs of alternative transportation systems in U.S. National Park Service units: An integrative review. Journal of Environmental Management. in press.
  • Taff BD, J Thomsen, WL Rice, Z Miller, J Newton, L Miller, A Gibson, M Riddle, JP Schaberl, M McCormick. 2022. US national park visitor experiences during COVID-19: Data from Acadia, Glacier, Grand Teton, Shenandoah, and Yellowstone National Parks. Parks Stewardship Forum 38: 145-159.
  • Taylor VF, J Landis, S Janssen. 2022. Tracing the sources and depositional history of mercury to coastal northeastern U.S. lakes. Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts. https://doi.org/10.1039/D2EM00214K
  • Trott TJ. 2022. Mesoscale spatial patterns of Gulf of Maine Rocky intertidal communities. Diversity 14: 557.
  • Van Kampen R, N Fisichelli, Y-J Zhang, J Wason. 2022. Drought timing and species growth phenology determine intra-annual recovery of tree height and diameter growth. Annals of Botany plac012.
  • Wisner SA. 2022. Utilizing climate change refugia for climate change adaptation and management in the Northeast. Masters thesis. 1170. University of Massachusetts Amherst. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/masters_theses_2/1170

Research permits issued

  • Emma Albee - Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park - eBird observations in Acadia National Park
  • Emma Albee - Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park - Nature's Notebook observations in Acadia National Park
  • Emma Albee - Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park - iNaturalist observations in Acadia
  • Michelle Baumflek - USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station - Protect Natural Resources by Developing Plant Gathering Protocols with Indian Tribal Gatherers
  • Seth Benz - Schoodic Institute - SeaWatch: A Citizen Science Monitoring Project of Fall Seabird Migrations off Schoodic Point in Acadia National Park
  • Seth Benz - Schoodic Institute - Long-term Monitoring of Fall Raptor Migrations in Acadia National Park (using standard data collection protocol as defined by the Hawk Migration Association of North America)
  • Seth Benz - Schoodic Institute - Schoodic Institute Biodiversity and Phenology Citizen Science Observations
  • Frederick Bianchi - Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Optimization of the Cadillac Mountain Reservation System
  • Frederick Bianchi - Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Cadillac Reservation System
  • Frederick Bianchi - Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Bass Harbor Lighthouse Reservation System
  • Frederick Bianchi - Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Maple Spring Trail GIS layers
  • Frederick Bianchi - Worcester Polytechnic Institute - e-Bike Research
  • Gillian Bowser - Colorado State University - 3dNaturalist/Pollinator Hotshot Inventory Study
  • Susan Brawley - University of Maine (Orono) - Experimental Evolutionary Cell Biology Using the Porphyra Model System
  • William Brumback - Native Plant Trust - The New England Plant Conservation Program (2020-2024)
  • John Cigliano - Cedar Crest College - Marine microplastics in Acadia National Park
  • John Cigliano - Cedar Crest College - The effects of ocean acidification and climate change on temperate marine rocky intertidal communities
  • Emma Damm - College of The Atlantic - Investigating Spring Amphibian Migration Activity on Duck Brook Road
  • Jeremy Deeds - Maine Department of Environmental Protection Regional - Lake Monitoring Network
  • Nathan Dorn - MDI Biological Laboratory, Community Environmental Health Laboratory - Comparing eelgrass meadow health between restored and undisturbed sites
  • Matthew Duveneck - New England Conservatory - Future Forest Trajectories in Acadia National Park: Identifying Management Priorities
  • Colleen Emery - US Geological Survey - The Dragonfly Mercury Project: engaging citizen scientists in monitoring mercury contamination in National Parks
  • Nicholas Fisichelli - Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park - Impacts of extreme climate events on tree regeneration in the Northern Forest
  • William Gawley - NPS, Acadia National Park - Jordan Pond, Seal Cove, and Witch Hole Pond Water Quality Monitoring
  • Melenia Giakoumis - City University of New York - Population dynamics and conservation of Asterias sea stars in the north Atlantic
  • Adam Gibson - Acadia National Park - Visitor Perceptions with Lighting and Night Skies in National Parks
  • Sarah Hall - College of The Atlantic - Impacts of intense rain events: Geomorphic assessments of two Acadia National Park watersheds
  • Jeffrey Harriman - Maine Forest Service - Northeast Forest Inventory and Analysis
  • Evan Graham Hegeman - University of Connecticut - Threespine stickleback and cestode parasites in Maine waters
  • Wriley Hodge - College of The Atlantic - Winter and Spring Waterbird Counts Around Acadia National Park
  • Wriley Hodge - College of The Atlantic - A Survey of Acadia National Park's nesting Seabirds
  • Allyson Jackson - Purchase College, SUNY - Cross-system subsidies in Acadia National Park: bird component of larger study on cross-ecosystem subsidies
  • Laura Katz - Smith College - Biodiversity of Microbial Eukaryotes in Acadia National Park: Testate (Shelled) Amoebae at Big Heath and Ciliates in tide pools
  • Julie Kelso - US Environmental Protection Agency - Streamflow Duration Assessment Method
  • Jamie Kilgo - National Park Service, Water Resources Division - Rapid Response Strategy for Potential Toxin Exposures from HABs in Coastal and Shoreline Areas of National Parks
  • Nicole Kollars - Northeastern University Marine Science Center - Using population genetics to inform invasive species management: A case study with glossy buckthorn at Acadia National Park
  • Adam Kozlowski - NPS, Northeast Temperate Network - NPS Northeast Temperate Inventory and Monitoring Network (NETN) Rocky Intertidal Monitoring Program
  • Jeff Licht - University of Massachusetts, Boston - Investigating Genetic Properties of Jack pine (Pinus banksiana) Located At A Sympatry On South Cadillac Trail
  • Caitlin Littlefield - Conservation Science Partners, Inc. - Coastal spruce-fir dynamics in the face of sea-level rise and salt marsh migration
  • James Lynch - National Park Service, Northeast Region - Elevation monitoring of salt marsh habitats at Acadia National Park
  • Lucy Martin - University of Maine - Acadia National Park, Tourism, and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Impacts to Risk Perception and Behaviors
  • Catherine Matassa - University of Connecticut - Intertidal community assembly and dynamics: Integrating broad-scale regional variation in environmental forcing and benthic-pelagic coupling
  • Angela Mech - University of Maine - Lure efficacy trial for the invasive browntail moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea)
  • Kathryn Miller - National Park Service, Northeast Temperate Network - Freshwater Wetland Monitoring at Acadia National Park
  • Glen Mittelhauser - Maine Natural History Observatory - Assess water levels in Great Meadow, 2022
  • Christopher Monz - Utah State University - Spatial distribution of recreation disturbance on Sargent Mountain summit, Acadia National Park, ME
  • Christina Murphy - US Geological Survey, Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit - Impact of invasive fishes on lake foodwebs in Acadia National Park
  • Abigail Muscat - University of Maine (Orono) - A pilot test of a long-term nearshore bird community monitoring program in Acadia National Park
  • Christopher Nadeau - University of Connecticut - Does Enhancing Genetic Diversity Increase the Long-term Success of Subalpine-Plant Restorations Under Climate Change
  • Peter Nelson - Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park - Develop Climate Change-Resilient Restoration Techniques on Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park
  • Bonnie Newsom - University of Maine - Old Collections, New Analyses: Examining Archaeological Materials to Enhance Coastal Site Stewardship in Acadia National Park, Maine
  • Eliza Oldach - University of California, Davis - Managing the Intertidal: An Evaluation of Acadia National Park's Community Workshop Process
  • James Pagano - State University of New York at Oswego - Ambient Levels of Persistent and Emerging Air Toxics in Acadia National Park
  • Pooja Panwar - Dartmouth College - Quantifying food resource available to Bats and Birds at Acadia National Park
  • Madelaine Pelletier - Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park - Project ASCO (Assessing Seaweed via Community Observations)
  • Chris Petersen - College of The Atlantic - Clam recruitment and predation, and pH in intertidal mudflats
  • Chris Petersen - College of The Atlantic - Historical Ecology of Tide Pool Flora and Fauna at Acadia National Park
  • Alexa Pezzano - NPS, Acadia National Park, Schoodic Education Adventure Program - Schoodic Education Adventure, Intertidal Exploration
  • Alexa Pezzano - NPS, Acadia National Park, Schoodic Education Adventure Program - Schoodic Education Adventure, Soil Exploration
  • Stephen Ressel - College of The Atlantic - Breeding by the Sea: Coastal Vernal Pools in Acadia National Park as Breeding Habitat for Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum)
  • Tasman Rosenfeld - Yale University - Physiology and population genetics of a salt-tolerant subpopulation of spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) in Acadia National Park, Maine, USA
  • Laura Sebastianelli - Bird Sound Recording to Enhance Bird Ecology Research at Acadia National Park
  • Greg Shriver - University of Delaware - Saltmarsh Habitat & Avian Research Program resurvey (Avian/vegetation surveys)
  • Morgan Simms - EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc., PBC - Improving Coastal Resiliency on St. Croix Island, Maine
  • Stephanie Spera - University of Richmond - Climate Change, Fall Foliage, and Leaf-Peepers: Effects of Precipitation and Temperature on Senescence and Visitation in Acadia National Park
  • Joseph St. Germain - Downs & St. Germain Research - Visitor Profile & Economic Impact Analysis Research for the State of Maine
  • Richard Vachula - Auburn University - Using the past to inform modern and future wildfire in Acadia National Park
  • Kaitlin Van Volkom - University of New Hampshire - Changes in Slipper Limpet Populations across New England
  • Hannah Webber - Schoodic Institute - Marine-to-land subsidies in Acadia National Park's Big Moose, Little Moose, and Pond Islands
  • Hannah Webber - Schoodic Institute - Phenology of Jonah crab (Cancer borealis) appearance on Schoodic Peninsula
  • Hannah Webber - Schoodic Institute - Biodiversity of select soft sediment habitats of Acadia National Park
  • Aaron Weed - National Park Service, Northeast Temperate Network - Forest Bird Monitoring at Acadia National Park
  • Aaron Weed - National Park Service, Northeast Temperate Network - Forest Health Monitoring at Acadia National Park
  • Scott Weidensaul - Project SNOWstorm - Alpine Wintering Ecology of Snowy Owls in Acadia National Park
  • Jill Weiss - State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry - Managing the New Hiker: Characteristics, Perceptions, and Behavior Trends among Trail Users in the Northeast
  • Bik Wheeler - Acadia National Park - Protecting WNS Affected Bat Populations in Acadia National Park: Monitoring and Mitigation
  • Jesse Wheeler - NPS, Acadia National Park - Southern pine beetle monitoring
  • Jesse Wheeler - NPS, Acadia National Park - Emerald Ash Borer surveys using girdled trap trees in Acadia National Park
  • Jesse Wheeler - NPS, Acadia National Park - Emerald Ash Borer Survey and Outreach
  • David Yates - Biodiversity Research Institute - Hg trends in Acadia National Park

Contact Us

If you're interested in conducting research in Acadia National Park, visit our Research Permits page and contact our Research Permits coordinator if you have any questions.

If you're a science news organization and have a question, please visit our News page or and contact our Public Affairs Specialist.

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Acadia National Park

Last updated: October 25, 2022