Bark Ranger Program offered in Acadia National Park

A new program at Acadia National Park is for people who love visiting the park with their dogs. The Bark Ranger Program encourages dogs and their people to complete at least one activity geared toward teaching and practicing the etiquette needed when dogs visit wild places like Acadia. After completing one or more activities, a free wallet-sized certificate will be signed by a park ranger, to honor the commitments between people, their dogs, and Acadia National Park.

In addition to the certificates, the Bark Ranger Program has other offerings including a free evening ranger program offered at the Seawall Campground and the Schoodic Woods Campground, dates and times are listed on the Acadia National Park “Things to Do” website at http://go.nps.gov/Acadia2Do. And, if you would like your dog to have a Bark Ranger collar tag or bandana, these items are available for sale through the Eastern National Bookstore located at Hulls Cove Visitor Center and other locations.

To learn more about the program visit http://go.nps.gov/AcadiaPets or contact Kelly Pontbriand, 207-288-8805 or kelly_pontbriand@nps.gov.

For more information, please visit www.nps.gov/acad or call 207-288-3338. Join online conversations on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AcadiaNPS), Twitter (twitter.com/AcadiaNPS), and Instagram (www.instagram.com/acadianps).

www.nps.gov

About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 417 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook (www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice), Twitter (www.twitter.com/natlparkservice), and YouTube (www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice).

Healthy Acadia Receives National AmeriCorps Grant

Healthy Acadia has received an AmeriCorps grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to launch the Maine RecoveryCorps Program. The Program will focus on expanding Recovery Coaching to strengthen recovery support services in our communities and to improve recovery success among individuals facing opioid use disorders.  

This grant will support 30 AmeriCorps members who will serve throughout Northeastern Maine, including Aroostook, Hancock, Knox, Penobscot, Waldo and Washington counties. RecoveryCorps members will help tackle the critical challenges of a devastating opioid epidemic, which results in high morbidity and mortality throughout the region. Many individuals are struggling with opioid use disorders and significant gaps exist in services, including lack of access to support services for people throughout the recovery process. This grant will support Recovery Coaching, which is an innovative form of peer-to-peer recovery support. RecoveryCorps coaches will serve as personal guides and mentors for the people seeking recovery, helping them remove barriers and navigate systems to meet their treatment, wellness and recovery support goals. RecoveryCorps coaches have typically experienced substance use disorder and recovery either directly themselves or through someone close to them. 

“The RecoveryCorps Program represents a significant expansion of recovery coaching services across a broad region,” said Elsie Flemings, Executive Director of Healthy Acadia. "We're thrilled that the Corporation for National and Community Service has recognized the need to expand services to support individuals seeking recovery from opioid use disorders, and that they saw the value that AmeriCorps members can bring in the form of recovery coaching. These AmeriCorps members will meet pressing local needs as they develop civic and leadership skills that will last a lifetime.”

"AmeriCorps members are improving the lives of millions of citizens and having a positive and lasting impact on the toughest challenges facing our communities,” said Barbara Stewart, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “While they serve others, AmeriCorps members also expand opportunity for themselves – gaining skills and experience to jumpstart their careers.  We congratulate Healthy Acadia for their strong application, and thank all AmeriCorps members for their dedication to service.” 

In addition to the grant funding, CNCS will make available $121,595 in Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards for the AmeriCorps members funded by these grants. After completing a full term of service, AmeriCorps members receive an award of $5,920 that they can use to pay for college or to pay down student loans.

The current year’s AmeriCorps grant cycle was highly competitive, due to the strong demand by organizations seeking AmeriCorps resources. The 2018 competition prioritized investments in economic opportunity, education, veterans and military families, disaster services, and opioid misuse issues and recovery. In total 367 AmeriCorps positions are funded to serve communities in all of Maine’s 16 counties, representing an increase in both positions and federal funding over the previous year.

RecoveryCorps AmeriCorps members will serve at organizations throughout the six-county region of Aroostook, Hancock, Knox, Penobscot, Waldo and Washington. For information on how to apply for a RecoveryCorps position in any of these counties, or if your organization is interested in hosting an AmeriCorps RecoveryCorps service member, please contact Sandie Dubay at 667-7171 or sandie@healthyacadia.org. 

AmeriCorps is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, the Social Innovation Fund, and the Volunteer Generation Fund. For more information, visit www.NationalService.gov.

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust Presents Golf Tourney Proceeds to Beneficiary

Greg Dalton, Curtis Simard, Lisa Parsons of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust present a check for $5,500 to Clara Baker and Alison Beane of Island Housing Trust representing the proceeds from the Bank’s 25^th Annual David R. Harding Memorial Charity Golf Tournament played at Kebo Valley Golf Club on June 12.  This year’s tournament benefitted the Island Housing Trust. 

Island Housing Trust (IHT) promotes viable, year-round island communities by advancing permanent workforce housing on Mount Desert Island.  They support efforts by public and private individuals and organizations to create housing that is affordable to the year-round working population of MDI.  IHT promotes and seeks to establish partnerships that result in the creation of both rental and home ownership opportunities, enabling the year-round workforce to live in MDI's four communities.  IHT envisions a future where MDI has a significant percentage of affordable year-round housing available to the workforce and works to ensure that it remains affordable into the future. The dwelling units are protected by covenants, enforced in perpetuity. For more information, you can go to: www.islandhousingtrust.org

Bar Harbor Bankshares (NYSE American: BHB) is the parent company of its wholly owned subsidiary, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. Operating 49 branch locations across Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust is headquartered in Bar Harbor, Maine and has more than $3.5 billion in assets.  As a leading Northern New England community bank, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust offers a full range of personal and business banking services, as well as wealth management services through its subsidiaries Bar Harbor Trust Services and Charter Trust Company.  For more information about Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, visit www.BarHarbor.bank or call 1-888-853-7100.  Member FDIC.

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust supports Healthy Acadia’s DownEast Teen Leadership Camp

Jack Frost and Chelsea Sawyer from Bar Harbor Bank & Trust present a donation check to Katie Freedman of Healthy Acadia. These funds will provide scholarships for students in Washington County to attend the DownEast Teen Leadership Camp this summer, helping to make DETLC accessible to all youth. 

DownEast Teen Leadership Camp (DETLC) is an annual 5-day residential summer camp program serving primarily Washington County teens entering grades 7 to 9.  Hosted by Healthy Acadia and held at the University of Maine at Machias, the camp challenges and empowers teens to make healthy choices and positively impact their lives and those in their communities. DETLC provides youth with social, communication and leadership skills to promote resiliency and to deter misuse of substances, including tobacco, alcohol and other drugs. DETLC is deeply impactful for the youth who participate, in terms of their opportunity to have a positive summer experience, the knowledge and tools they gain to make healthy choices, as well as the leadership skills they develop during camp and build on throughout the following years through an ongoing school-based programming. 

Since 2000, DETLC has motivated and inspired over 425 adolescents from rural Washington County and beyond to live substance free and serve as positive role models and inspiring civic leaders in their schools and communities ultimately increasing their personal well-being and workforce preparedness as they age into adulthood.DETLC has typically attracted more than 25 teens each year and recent enrollment has nearly doubled, with 49 teens attending in 2017. The DETLC model assures that all interested youth are welcome to attend camp, regardless of their ability to pay.  For more information, contact Healthy Acadia at 207-255-3741.

Bar Harbor Bankshares (NYSE American: BHB) is the parent company of its wholly owned subsidiary, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. Operating 49 branch locations across Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust is headquartered in Bar Harbor, Maine and has more than $3.5 billion in assets.  As a leading Northern New England community bank, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust offers a full range of personal and business banking services, as well as wealth management services through its subsidiaries Bar Harbor Trust Services and Charter Trust Company.  For more information about Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, visit www.BarHarbor.bank or call 1-888-853-7100.  Member FDIC.

Welcome to new member At Home MDI!

Please join us in welcoming our newest Chamber Member, At Home MDI.

At Home MDI is a member-based, volunteer supported program designed to provide residents of the Mount Desert Island community with essential services, empowering them to continue to live independently in their homes and connected to their communities as they age.

They are dedicated to:

• Supporting our community elders to remain in their homes as long as they are able.
• Engaging with existing community organizations, businesses, and services to support this goal.
• Encouraging the growth of local services to fill the demands of the at home population
• Respecting the independence of our elders by offering services and support necessary to stay at home.

At Home is celebrating its first year of providing services on Mount Desert Island. At Home MDI welcomes new members and volunteers. For more information, call the main office (207)374-5852.

Welcome to new Chamber member Downeast Sailing Adventures!

Welcome to new Chamber Member Downeast Sailing Adventures!

"Experience the Real Maine on Acadia’s Quiet Side as we sail among the Cranberry Islands and Somes Sound. Enjoy the breath taking vistas of Acadia National Park. Sit back and relax as we sail past the lighthouses, lobstermen, and magnificent summer “cottages” that make this world-class cruising area unique. Hosted on a traditional Maine-built wooden sloop, the Friendship Sloop SURPRISE carries a maximum of only 6 passengers.

"The Friendship Sloop SURPRISE is the only Carbon Neutral tour boat in Acadia National Park. We removed the diesel engine and replaced it with a 24 hp. Elco Electric Motor making us completely silent. No noise or fumes to spoil the experience."

The Surprise sails out of the Manset Town Dock - be sure to stop by and say hello!