While use of the park's offshore islands and other remote areas has increased, there has been no corresponding increase in ranger staff to monitor and regulate this shift in public off-road use. Fire has been a serious problem. Nearly all fires on Mount Desert Island are caused by people. Poaching and the illegal trapping of fur-bearing animals are chronic problems and a continuing threat to park resources. Sea kayakers are camping illegally on the park's fragile offshore islands, leaving fire scars, litter, and human waste.
Educational material can go a long way toward reducing the human impacts on the park's resources.
Corporate funds supported a recent effort to put up some signs at trailheads educating visitors about how to tread lightly on park resources. Funding is also needed to increase patrols and mitigate the damage that does occur. Critical Information Needs Information about the condition of the park's resources is critically needed. For example, no inventory has been completed of the native and non-native fish in the park's streams, lakes, ponds, and bogs. There has been no comprehensive effort to identify invertebrate species at risk.