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Lake Wood, Maine-any substitute?
Dear All:
Many former users of Lake Wood in Acadia National Park are, I'm sure, still grieving over its loss as a hassle-free place for skinny-dipping and nude sunbathing. Will there ever be any place like it in Maine ever again?
Some background... In a post 8-26-06 I shared my research in the Hancock County, Maine Registry of Deeds on the transfer of land around Lake Wood to Acadia National Park. The purchase was made April 25, 1995. The nude use of the lake was certainly well known to ANP administration, as it had been customary since at least the 1940's, according to local lore. This traditional use continued to be tolerated under ANP ownership, in the administration of Superintendent Paul Heartel, many years after the sale.
The public generally uses the North shore which is immediately adjacent to the parking area. The nudists used the Eastern shore, which is about a 5-10 minute walk beyond it. They were not visible from the North shore as the terrain screens them from view.
Out of the blue in summer 2004, with no public warning and no posted signs, ANP rangers began persecuting naturists. The news media parroted the official reasoning given out by ANP administration, namely rampant drug use and underage drinking.
This did not agree at all with my own observations. In my visits the prior dozen years I noted it was self-policing. Users kept it clean. Drug use was nearly non-existent. It was even exceptional to see people with a beer. Children were never in attendance, dogs were rare. The few clothed people that encountered the place by accident always seemed curious and amused, rather than offended. All in all it used to be Maine’s most reliably peaceful place to bake one’s buns in the Sun and swim nude with sympathetic company.
My speculation is that it coincided with the arrival of a new Superintendent in May 2003. Sheridan Steele transferred from Gunnison National Park in Colorado. It seemed to be off to a good start as his personal mission, reported in state newspapers was "to work with the staff and community and help tailor a strategy unique to Acadia." His main stated goals were to: address problems of overuse, reverse degradation of natural resources, strategize for reduction of air pollution and to advocate for increased federal funding for ANP.
Soon afterward I noted that parking along the roadside near Bubble Pond became prohibited and boulders were set in place to enforce the new rule, somewhat ugly, but I thought nothing more about it. Then ranger patrols on the hiking trails became more frequent -- at face value an increased attention to safety, but certainly a departure from the easygoing atmosphere of Acadia. There were a number of other signals however that did not seem to be welcoming developments either. My underlying sense was that a new, more severe tone was set for how ANP users would be treated.
It therefore was no surprise to hear about the (alleged-but in front of many witnesses) Ranger brutality on one of the attendees at an annual end-of-season outdoor gathering of the restaurant staffers of an ANP consessionaire. Fyi:
I am avoiding potentially libelous statements here, but can certainly observe that the relationship between users of Acadia and the enforcement personnel had changed quite a bit in the last five years and not, I purport, for the better. Perhaps there will be a positive change under a new Chief Executive in Washington next year.
Many former users of Lake Wood in Acadia National Park are, I'm sure, still grieving over its loss as a hassle-free place for skinny-dipping and nude sunbathing. Will there ever be any place like it in Maine ever again?
Some background... In a post 8-26-06 I shared my research in the Hancock County, Maine Registry of Deeds on the transfer of land around Lake Wood to Acadia National Park. The purchase was made April 25, 1995. The nude use of the lake was certainly well known to ANP administration, as it had been customary since at least the 1940's, according to local lore. This traditional use continued to be tolerated under ANP ownership, in the administration of Superintendent Paul Heartel, many years after the sale.
The public generally uses the North shore which is immediately adjacent to the parking area. The nudists used the Eastern shore, which is about a 5-10 minute walk beyond it. They were not visible from the North shore as the terrain screens them from view.
Out of the blue in summer 2004, with no public warning and no posted signs, ANP rangers began persecuting naturists. The news media parroted the official reasoning given out by ANP administration, namely rampant drug use and underage drinking.
This did not agree at all with my own observations. In my visits the prior dozen years I noted it was self-policing. Users kept it clean. Drug use was nearly non-existent. It was even exceptional to see people with a beer. Children were never in attendance, dogs were rare. The few clothed people that encountered the place by accident always seemed curious and amused, rather than offended. All in all it used to be Maine’s most reliably peaceful place to bake one’s buns in the Sun and swim nude with sympathetic company.
My speculation is that it coincided with the arrival of a new Superintendent in May 2003. Sheridan Steele transferred from Gunnison National Park in Colorado. It seemed to be off to a good start as his personal mission, reported in state newspapers was "to work with the staff and community and help tailor a strategy unique to Acadia." His main stated goals were to: address problems of overuse, reverse degradation of natural resources, strategize for reduction of air pollution and to advocate for increased federal funding for ANP.
Soon afterward I noted that parking along the roadside near Bubble Pond became prohibited and boulders were set in place to enforce the new rule, somewhat ugly, but I thought nothing more about it. Then ranger patrols on the hiking trails became more frequent -- at face value an increased attention to safety, but certainly a departure from the easygoing atmosphere of Acadia. There were a number of other signals however that did not seem to be welcoming developments either. My underlying sense was that a new, more severe tone was set for how ANP users would be treated.
It therefore was no surprise to hear about the (alleged-but in front of many witnesses) Ranger brutality on one of the attendees at an annual end-of-season outdoor gathering of the restaurant staffers of an ANP consessionaire. Fyi:
I am avoiding potentially libelous statements here, but can certainly observe that the relationship between users of Acadia and the enforcement personnel had changed quite a bit in the last five years and not, I purport, for the better. Perhaps there will be a positive change under a new Chief Executive in Washington next year.
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