BAR HARBOR — Two prestigious national awards have been bestowed on the comprehensive field guide to Acadia’s uniquely varied plant communities, “The Plants of Acadia National Park” by Linda Gregory, Glen Mittelhauser, Sally Rooney, and Jill E. Weber.

Produced though a partnership between Friends of Acadia, the Garden Club of Mount Desert, and the Maine Natural History Observatory, the book was published in 2010 by the University of Maine Press. “The Plants of Acadia National Park”

On April 17, the book was awarded the Sarah Chapman Francis Medal by the Garden Club of America for “outstanding literary achievement related to any aspect of the Garden Club of America interests.” Co-author Glen Mittelhauser, executive director of the Maine Natural History Observatory and Stephanie Clement, conservation director at Friends of Acadia, along with Constance Clark, president of the Garden Club of Mount Desert traveled to Savannah, Ga. to accept the award on the behalf of the three partner organizations at the annual meeting of the Garden Club of America. As part of the nomination process for the Sarah Chapman Francis Award, letters of support were written by people including Acadia National Park Superintendent Sheridan Steele, and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins who wrote, “…while the volume provides a tremendous amount of substantive scientific information, its format and design are easily accessible, making it an invaluable resource for the experienced botanist and first time park visitor alike.” Ted Koffman, executive director of Maine Audubon, noted that “the dedication of these three private, not-for-profit groups harkens back a century to the very establishment of Acadia National Park.”

In March, the book won the Association of Partners for Public Lands’ (APPL) Media & Partnership Award in the category of “non-partner-published book.” APPL’s Media & Partnership Awards recognizes “the outstanding contributions made by nonprofit partners to engage the public with our nation’s parks, refuges, monuments, forests, lakes, open spaces, and historic places.” Judges for the award commented, “This is one of the better guide books I have seen on flora. The photos are crisp and clear with an added advantage of presenting more than one image of the plants, allowing the reader to see what the plant may look like from a distance as well as close up. It is affordable and grabs your attention.” Friends of Acadia Development Director Lisa Horsch Clark accepted the award for Friends of Acadia at APPL’s annual convention in Las Vegas.

Friends of Acadia is an independent nonprofit conservation organization located in Bar Harbor, dedicated to the preservation, protection, and promotion of stewardship of the Acadia National Park and the surrounding communities. The Garden Club of Mount Desert was founded in 1923; its mission is to stimulate interest and increase knowledge in horticulture and to protect native flora and fauna. Maine Natural History Observatory, founded in 2004, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the inventory and monitoring of species and habitats along the coast of Maine.

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