BAR HARBOR, Maine — Acadia National Park consistently ranks in the top 10 most visited destinations in the National Park Service, with 4 million annual visitors.
With the majority of guests visiting during the summer, the park and its partners—Friends of Acadia and the Island Explorer bus system—rely heavily on seasonal employees.
But many of those employees struggle to find housing, like Eli Shahan, a summit steward with the Friends of Acadia.
"I reached out to an apartment complex in the area, and they had a yearlong wait list," Shahan said.
Thirty percent of the seasonal park positions have been unfilled the past few years, undoubtedly in part due to the affordable housing crisis. Acadia National Park Superintendent Kevin Schneider said park-provided housing is necessary.
"It is impossible for a seasonal employee to find a place to live for the six-month summer season when they are working here," Schneider said. "If we don't provide them housing, they aren't going to be able to work at Acadia National Park."
With only 100 beds to date, many more are needed to house some 300 seasonal workers needed between Acadia, Friends of Acadia, and the Island Explorer buses.
To remedy the problem, the Friends of Acadia announced Wednesday a "Raise the Roof" campaign to start creating new bunk houses.
Needing an addition $2.5 million, the Friends of Acadia are close to meeting their $10 million goal and unlocking over $10 million from federal and third-party funds. This round of fundraising will add an additional 64 beds to the park, eight at Dane Farm, and 56 at Harden farm.
Once a seasonal worker himself, Eric Stiles, president and CEO of Friends of Acadia, feels this housing will pay decades of dividends much greater than simply providing a temporary home.
"This is a hundred-year gift that is really going to be enabling the next generation of great leaders," Stiles said.
Construction at the Dane Farm location is anticipated to end in October. In the meantime, for Shahan's fellow summit steward, Kyra Parker, the housing has already made a huge difference.
"It turned this job into a maybe, maybe I can make this work into yes: I absolutely get to do this amazing opportunity," Parker said.