Project Goals

 The number of people that visit Acadia National Park in the fall has more than doubled over the past 20 years.  Why? The goal of this research is to understand how changes in temperature and precipitation have affected the timing and duration of fall foliage in Acadia  and how these changes in fall foliage have affected park visitorship. Changes in the timing and duration of peak fall foliage have important implications for park management, the local economies of towns on/around Mount Desert Island, and those of us who love visiting Acadia in the fall! 
We're going to ask four questions:

1. How have temperature and precipitation changed in Acadia between 1950-present?
2. How has the onset and duration of fall foliage changed in Acadia ?
3. How have changes in precipitation and temperature affected fall foliage and park visitorship in Acadia ?
4. What do Acadia visitors consider when planning their fall visits?

Read below how you can help us with answer the second question! And you can find even more info on the project here. 

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Help Us with our Fall Foliage Research!

Be a Citizen Scientist

Send your old pictures of Acadia National Park in the fall with to anpfallfoliage@richmond.edu.​ In your email, please be sure to include: 

• The date the photo was taken
• Where in ANP the photo was taken

And, optionally: 

• If we can post your photo on our Instagram and Twitter 
• Any story you'd like to share about your picture. We love hearing about how people love Acadia!

And be sure to check us out on Instagram and Twitter at @anpfallfoliage. ​

*If your emails are getting bounced back because the file size is too big, please let us know. And, you can still upload them here!

We need your help!
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​We plan to use satellite data to help us map fall foliage over time, but like all technology, the farther back in time you go, the lower the quality of the data. We won't have any reliable data before the year 2000. And, we need help validating the satellite data we do have - making sure what we see in the satellite images is actually representative of what is happening on the ground in the Park.

So we're looking for any/all photos you've taken at Acadia National Park in the fall. 1950s to present day. The more photos we get, the better!

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In the NEWS

• Leaf Data, In Your Family Albums, Science Friday
• Your 'basic' fall leaf photos could serve as evidence of climate change, Popular Science
• Is Autumn Arriving Earlier?  National Parks Traveler Podcast
• ​Researchers using photos to study impact of climate change on fall foliage, CBC
• Research examines fall foliage and climate change, Mount Desert Islander
• Scientists want your Acadia National Park photographs, News Center Maine
• Living Lab Radio with Heather Goldstone
• ​Fall Foliage: Leaf-Peeping in Maine Brings Tourists and Beauty to the State, Maine Calling
• Leaf peep for science, I want your old photos of fall foliage, The Conversation

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 This work is funded by Second Century Stewardship, a collaboration between the Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park, the National Park Service, and the National Park Foundation. More information on this project can be found here.