Acadia National Park will receive nearly $1 million in federal funding to protect both natural and indigenous archaeological resources from climate change. 

The $950,000 from the Inflation Reduction Act will help Acadia “create a model for addressing climate change vulnerabilities of coastal archeological sites, collections, landscapes and ethnographic resources using a ‘Two-eyed Seeing’ approach,” the park said in announcing the funding Wednesday. 

The two-eyed seeing approach is the practice of integrating indigenous knowledge with Western science. 

“When faced with the humbling realities of what climate change has in store for places like Acadia, it only makes sense to use every resource available to us to prepare for the future,” said Kevin Schneider, park superintendent. “We are eager to learn from the Wabanaki tribes. This funding … will allow Acadia National Park to work deeply with the Wabanaki Tribes to share information for co-stewardship of heritage cultural resources.”

The park and Wabanaki Tribes will create a decision framework and adaptation guidebook using up to 35 threatened archaeological sites as case studies, the park said. 

The team will also develop a citizen science program for documenting and monitoring vulnerable sites. 

The parks and tribes will create public programs and lesson plans for Wabanaki communities and the public to spread awareness of the value of indigenous resources in the national parks. 

The project will involve the tribes, the University of Maine, Wabanaki language speakers and the Schoodic Institute. 

The funding is part of a $195 million effort by the National Park Service to bolster the country’s national parks against the impacts of climate change. 

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