Helping a New National Monument: Katahdin Woods and Waters

On the eve of the National Park Service’s centennial in 2016, President Barack Obama designated 87,500 acres as the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument – the first national monument to preserve the landscape and honor the history and culture of Maine’s North Woods in Penobscot County. The superintendent of the new national monument asked the National Park Service – Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program (NPS-RTCA) to assist with engaging local communities and leading various planning projects.

NPS-RTCA inventoried the existing trails, prepared field maps, and evolved a wayfinding signage strategy in support of the monument’s long-term role as an economic and tourism generator. To engage adjacent communities, NPS-RTCA hosted listening sessions where hundreds of locals shared their histories with the land. NPS-RTCA collaborated with the Millinocket Memorial Library and the Maine Folklife Center to collect these stories and create the Katahdin Story Booth, an oral history project used to teach future generations about the history of the land. Additionally, NPS-RTCA initiated the Katahdin Learning Project, which supports local teachers by involving students in hands-on learning, including cross-country ski outings to the monument, trail clearing and other place-based education activities.

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For more than 30 years, the National Park Service - Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program  has been moving the needle on conservation and outdoor recreation in communities across America. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.