Access Acadia: Inclusive Descriptions of Park Destinations
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LINK TO WAYSIDE IMAGE IN NPGALLERY
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LINK TO RECORDED AUDIO DESCRIPTION
Acadia National Park
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AXS Wayside: Summit to Sea
Recorded audio description of a wayside, "Summit to Sea."
Date created:
06/25/2023
Audio Transcript
At Frazer Point, the second sign displayed in the two upright frames is entitled "Summit to Sea."
Installed in an are rich in natural beauty, the sign's panel captures the essence of the Schoodic Peninsula in a variety of images -- its rocky landscape, the ocean and its inhabitants, and the making of baskets from porcupine quills.
The sign's title appears over a photograph of a tree-covered slope leading down to the ocean. A visitor sits atop a boulder, gazing out at the spectacular view. A note: "On Schoodic Head, the highest point on the peninsula, shady woodlands give way to sweeping coastal vistas."
A quote from Donald Soctomah, Passamaquoddy, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer: "Walk in respect on this land so in the next thousand years your descendants will enjoy the beauties around you."
Text reads: "Schoodic - The name may have come from the Micmac word 'eskwodek' meaning 'the end' - a fitting title for this remote part of Acadia. Known as the 'Wabanaki,' the Micmac, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, and the Penobscot are Maine's four federally recognized Native American tribes. Wabanaki people traveled and camped here for thousands of years and still have strong ties to this land.
In the 1890s when the National park idea was in its infancy, John Moore, a wealthy businessman and Maine native, envisioned a summer recreation area on Schoodic Point. Donated by his family, this land became part of Acadia National Park in 1929. From summit to sea, past to present, the human story at Schoodic is interwoven with the area's natural splendors."
A trio of photographs features a bristly porcupine, a round basket decorated with quills set in a geometric pattern, and an artist at work on a basket. "Throughout time, Wabanaki people have created and used objects such as porcupine quill baskets and birch bark canoes. These crafts reflect the beauty of a land that continues to inspire artists today."
A photo of a tidepool teeming with life appears next to the image of a sea star. Five thick rays stretch out from the core of the pebbly pink animal. The colorful photo shows a cluster of blue mussels next to a few periwinkle snails with whorled shells, tufts of algae, crusty white barnacles, and a clump of rockweed fronds. "Tide pools - only accessible at low tide - are one of the many habitats that nurture Schoodic's rich variety of life. The difference between high and low tide here can reach 10 to 12 feet."
In another image, patches of rockweed and algae form a slick coating over beach-side rocks. On the sides of a tall rocky stack, barnacles and plant life mark tidal zones in uneven horizontal stripes.
AXS Wayside: Summit to Sea
Recorded audio description of a wayside, "Summit to Sea."
Date created:
06/25/2023
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service