National Parks Traveler Episode 185: Acadia's Friends

By Kurt Repanshek - August 28th, 2022

It’s been said time and again, the National Park Service is not adequately funded. There’s just not enough money in the agency’s annual budgets to address all the needs across the National Park System. And those needs are many, from maintaining facilities, keeping wastewater treatment plans operating smoothly, managing wildlife, and tending to ever growing throngs of visitors.

That’s where friends groups and cooperating associations come into play. They provide much-needed financial support through philanthropic donations that might pay for wildlife research, trail maintenance, or campground upkeep.

Friends of Acadia is one such group, and its workload has grown through the years. While friends groups once were seen as raising charitable dollars to fund the “margin of excellence” in the parks, today the National Park Service is relying more and more on these nonprofit organizations to fund projects addressing the “muscle and bones” of park operations.

Today we’re going to discuss this evolution with Eric Stiles, who recently took the helm at Friends of Acadia following David MacDonald’s departure.

:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
:12 Episode Intro with Kurt Repanshek
1:12 Black Woods - Nature’s Symphony - The Sounds of Acadia
1:20 Friends of Acadia
1:45 Wild Tribute
2:05 Potrero Group
2:31 Interior Federal Credit Union
3:03 Eric Stiles, the new president and CEO of Friends of Acadia, talks about the challenges facing Acadia National Park, and the National Park System, with Kurt Repanshek.
12:35 Shee Beg Shee Mor - Nature’s Symphony - The Sounds of Acadia
12:49 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
13:08 Washington’s National Park Fund
13:40 The Everglades Foundation
13:51 Yosemite Conservancy
14:16 Eric Stiles and Kurt Repanshek continue their conversation about the National Park System and Acadia National Park.
23:55 Black Woods - Nature’s Symphony - The Sounds of Acadia
24:08 Eastern National Passport to Your National Parks
24:50 Great Smoky Mountains Association
25:10 Grand Teton National Park Foundation
25:40 Eric and Kurt discuss the challenges facing Friends of Acadia
44:01 Escalante - Tim Heintz - The Sounds of Peaks, Plateaus and Canyons
44:59 Episode Closing
45:28 Orange Tree Productions
45:59 Splitbeard Productions
46:11 National Parks Traveler footer

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Acadia National Park

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