As the ongoing federal shutdown approaches a full week, concerns are growing about its economic impact on Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island.
Access to the park has not been barred as in past shutdowns, and though there continues to be a heavy flow of leaf-peeping tourists in Acadia, entrance fees are not being collected and there has been confusion over what facilities or attractions in the park remain open.
Last October, Acadia collected about $1.5 million in fees that it stands to miss out on this month if the shutdown continues for the next few weeks, according to Friends of Acadia, a nonprofit group that advocates for and provides support programs to the park.
But how long the shutdown might last — and how much income the park will lose — is not the only question that has observers scratching their heads. Last week, information about the federal shutdown effects on the park changed daily, though the park’s current conditions alerts on its website have not changed since Friday.
The summit road up Cadillac Mountain, where drivers need an advance reservation and are charged a $6 toll, was open on the first day of the shutdown, Oct. 1, but was closed the next day, and then re-opened again on Friday. The visitor center in Hulls Cove has been closed since the shutdown went into effect, while since then the Sieur de Monts Nature Center and the Rockefeller Hall at Schoodic Point have been added to the park’s closure list. The gift shop at the visitor center — but not the center itself — has since been opened.
Much of the park staff has been furloughed for the duration of the shutdown. But while rangers continue to staff the Cadillac summit road to make sure motorists have reservations to drive to the top, the entrance station near Sand Beach is not being staffed — which means the park is not collecting entrance fees from visitors who drive past the empty booths.
Bo Jennings, president of the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce, said that though both Acadia and Bar Harbor remain busy with tourists, things could be better. He said visitors have felt frustrated at not having park staff on hand to offer guidance or other assistance, and with the haphazard manner that information has been released or changed. Even so, people have been happy they can enter the park and that the weather has been good for being outside, he said.
While there have been few cancellations from visitors who had planned to visit Bar Harbor, the economic impact on the park’s staff is significant, Jennings said.
It is not clear how many employees have been furloughed and how many remain on duty, but, according to Friends of Acadia, the majority will not be paid until the federal government gets funding approval from Congress to resume operations.
“They provide an incredible service to locals and visitors, and we can’t wait for Washington to settle this budget disagreement so we can get them back to work,” Jennings said of the park’s employees. “The longer this shutdown lasts, the more it affects the ANP staff more than anyone else.”
Officials with Acadia have not responded to staffing questions since the National Park Service laid off employees throughout the country not long after President Trump took office in late January, but it is believed it has fewer than 100 year-round employees and more than 100 seasonal employees, and even more seasonal positions that it has been unable to fill in recent years.
As for the uncollected entrance fees, Friends of Acadia has set up an online donation system to help offset the loss in revenue, so visitors can donate the equivalent of what they would have paid in fees if the entrance station was staffed. All donated funds will be given by FOA to Acadia, to supplement other entrance fee revenue that park collected before the Oct. 1 shutdown, which will be used to help fund park operations in the coming year.
October is one of the busiest months in Acadia, because of the draw of Maine’s colorful fall foliage, and has consistently produced more revenue for the park over recent years.
“We know many visitors want to support the park by purchasing a park pass – but simply have no way of doing so right now,” said Perrin Doniger, FOA’s spokesperson. “We hope some visitors will use this alternative entrance fee donation option to support the park, and we thank everyone in our community who’s helping get the word out to visitors.”
