David Rockefeller is celebrating his centennial by donating 1,000 acres of fields, streams, and freshwater ponds in Maine to the Mount Desert Island & Garden Preserve. “This magnificent state and its wonderful residents have been such an integral part of my family’s history. It is my hope that the public should forever benefit from this beloved tract of land,” Rockefeller said in a statement. The property abuts 47,000-acre Acadia National Park, which includes over 30,000 acres on Mount Desert Island. “It’s really a spectacular tract in every way. Its size and natural diversity make it so important to so many people on Mount Desert Island,” said David MacDonald, president and CEO of the Friends of Acadia. Thanks to a conservation agreement with the Mount Desert Island & Garden Preserve, this property will never be developed and will remain open to public access for outdoor recreation such as horseback riding, hiking, and more.

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Photo Credit: Jennifer Mitchell MPBN