Katahdin Woods and Waters receives $1M grant toward monument's visitor center

Courtesy / Mir, Saunders Architecture A rendering shows the Saunders Architecture design of the Tekαkαpimək Contact Station.

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By William Hall

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument is receiving a $1 million grant to help finish construction of a visitor center expected to open this summer.

The funding comes from the National Park Foundation, a congressionally chartered nonprofit that works with the National Park Service. The foundation has previously donated $1 million with grants in 2022 and 2023.

The visitor center, to be known as the Tekαkαpimək Contact Station, is the major goal of a $35 million fundraising campaign, the foundation said in a news release Thursday.

("Tekαkαpimək" translates from the Penobscot language to "as far as one can see" and is pronounced "de gah-gah bee mook.")

The Monumental Welcome Campaign will provide $31 million for the station, $2.7 million for "priority projects" that protect natural resources and enhance visitor experiences, and $1 million for future projects related to Maine's indigenous Wabanaki people.

So far, nearly $30 million has been raised.

Campaign Co-Chair Lucas St. Clair said in a news release, "The National Park Foundation has been a critical partner to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument from the start, and this extraordinary investment further highlights their belief in the exciting work happening here in Northern Maine.

"We're grateful for the Foundation's support to enhance the visitor experience, help expand the economic benefits in the region, and expose more people to the beauty that is Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument."

The campaign has received support from over 200 donors including leadership gifts from the Roxanne Quimby Foundation, Elliotsville Foundation Inc., Burt's Bees, L.L.Bean, the National Park Foundation and the NorthLight Foundation.

"Thanks to the vision, hard work and tremendous generosity of Roxanne Quimby and Lucas St. Clair, the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument is thriving," said Will Shafroth, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation. "Along with Quimby and St. Clair, the Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters' commitment to designing and building the Tekαkαpimək Contact Station in close consultation with the Wabanaki Tribal community is a tribute to the power of partnership."

The Tekαkαpimək Contact Station site is currently under construction and closed to visitors. The station is expected to open Aug. 17.

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument is located within the present and traditional homeland of the Penobscot Nation, and is a culturally significant place to the Wabanaki people, comprised of the Maliseet, Mi'kmaq, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot tribes.