Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to speak at Acadia National Park

UPDATE: Emily Beyer, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of the Interior, confirmed that Sally Jewell will be making her first visit to Acadia National Park as secretary. In an e-mail, Beyer said to stay tuned for further details on the secretary’s upcoming visit to the park.

Here is original story:

US Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis and David Rockefeller, Jr. are all scheduled to speak on Aug. 15 during a special event at the Schoodic Education and Research Center at Acadia National Park.

This is apparently the first time that Jewell will be visiting Acadia as Secretary of the Interior. She previously visited the park in October 2012 in her former role as a member of the board of trustees for the National Parks Conservation Association. A message has been left with the Department of the Interior’s press office to find out more about Jewell’s visit.

Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell celebrating National Park Week

Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell celebrated National Park Week in 2013 with a student studying nature. Department of the Interior photo.

According to a special message from the president of the Schoodic Institute, officials at the event will be celebrating Acadia’s recent No. 1 ratings in a couple of separate polls by two giant media outlets.

“It is a testimonial to the success of superintendent Sheridan Steele, the National Park Service, and everyone who contributes to making the Acadia region such a great place to visit,” said Schoodic Institute President Mark Berry in the institute’s August newsletter.

The appearances will come a couple of weeks after ABC TV’s Good Morning America named Acadia National Park “America’s Favorite Place” based on results of an online poll of viewers across the nation.

USA Today also said in July that Acadia National Park won the “Best National Park” contest in an online vote by readers.

Berry and Steele are also set to speak at the Aug. 15 event. The event, to be hosted by the board of directors of the Schoodic Institute, will be held at 3 p.m. on the lawn of Rockefeller Hall.

Blueberry Hill on the Schoodic Peninsula in Acadia National Park

Blueberry Hill offers fine ocean views from the Schoodic Peninsula in Acadia National Park.

It’s another accolade for Acadia to host the nation’s Interior secretary and national park service director, along with Rockefeller.

President Barack Obama nominated Jewell to become the 51st secretary of the interior and she was sworn in April of 2013. Before that, she was president and CEO of Recreation Equipment, Inc. better known as REI. Jewell began working for REI as Chief Operating Officer in 2000 and was appointed as CEO in 2005.

Jarvis, who started with the park service as a seasonal interpreter in 1976 and is former superintendent of several national parks, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in September of 2009 as the service’s 18th director.

Rockefeller Jr. is a son of David Rockefeller, who is the only surviving child of the late John D. Rockefeller Jr. John D. Rockefeller Jr. donated about 11,000 of Acadia’s total of 49,000 acres of land and oversaw meticulous construction of its famed carriage roads and 16 of its 17 stone bridges.

The appearances of Jewell and Jarvis are also a major recognition for the Schoodic Institute, which was created 10 years ago as an Acadia Partners for Science and Learning, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the Schoodic Education and Research Center of Acadia National Park, the institute’s web site said. The Schoodic Education and Research Center is one of about 19 research learning centers in the United States, and is the largest of all these facilities, the web site said.

A view toward Cadillac from Schoodic Head

An early evening view toward Cadillac Mountain from Schoodic Head on the Schoodic Peninsula.

Acadia National Park includes 2,400 acres on the Schoodic Peninsula.

The Schoodic Peninsula is the only part of the park located on the mainland. The peninsula is a 45-mile drive from Bar Harbor. People can also take a ferry service between Bar Harbor and Winter Harbor during the peak season, then the fare-free Island Explorer to the Schoodic portion of the park.

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