Through a challenging year, one thing was constant – your love for this place.
Looking across monument land to Katahdin from east to west. Photo credit: Ross Knowlton
At the end of each year, nonprofit staff are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from our members, donors, supporting partners, and community folks who take some time from their OWN busy holiday preparations to sit down and write a check, click to make an online donation, or share our posts on social media. Supporting Friends, or any nonprofit, is an act of love without guarantees, based in trust. Thank you all for your support!
After a year with many ups and downs, especially challenging our national park staff, we at Friends of Katahdin Woods & Waters are so grateful to have been able to invest in the things that you believe in – improving access, safety, and educational opportunities in the national monument and helping people of all ages learn about and visit this special place. As Friends’ staff takes a little break over the next few days, we’re sharing some of our favorite moments from 2025. Stay tuned for all the news, inside tips, and updates from the park service in the eNews next year!As always, reply to ask me a question or share a story from your visit to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. Maybe we’ll feature YOU in a future newsletter!
Stars Over Katahdin – A Night of Wonder and Learning
Click image to view full gallery! Photo credit: JM Naturescapes/Justin Miller
In late September – right before the federal government shutdown – Friends, NPS staff, and hundreds of passionate and curious people of all ages from the Katahdin region and beyond gathered for our annual celebration of the darkest skies east of the Mississippi. Stars Over Katahdin 2025 was our largest ever, with an estimated 400-plus attendees enjoying activities for kids, a lecture on “Penobscot Sense of Place,” music from the Burnurwurbsek Singers (Penobscot drumming group), and observing celestial bodies guided by expert astronomers. Stars Over Katahdin invites us to understand the “land” in a whole new way. Save the date: Saturday, October 3, 2026. Hope to see you next year under clear skies!
Learning to Love the Outdoors
Making outdoor learning is a natural part of the school day! Click image for more photos on Facebook. Photo: FKWW
2025 may be over, but at the Katahdin Learning Project, Friends’ outdoor education program, it’s halfway through the school year – and so far the exploration, discovery, and fun has included:
Cooking over a campfire at Stearns High School
Exploring nature art at Katahdin Elementary
Practicing Penobscot moon names at Stearns Middle School
Building nature awareness and observation skills with Lee Winn Elementary
Constructing winter shelters at Southern Aroostook Community School
Learning map and compass skills at Katahdin High School
Since the beginning of the school year, KLP has led 43 programs and worked with 700 students. We’re grateful for our students, educators, and partners – as well as our supporters who make this work possible – and excited for what the rest of the year will bring! Learn more about the programs here.
Tekαkαpimək Contact Station Gains Recognition in First Season
The building’s sweeping curves are clad in eastern cedar. Photo: James Florio
At a December 11th awards ceremony in Boston, Tekαkαpimək Contact Station was named New England Project of the Year by the Engineering News Record. This prestigious award recognizes the innovative construction, design, and sustainability features of Tekαkαpimək. Earlier this fall, Tekαkαpimək was awarded the Juror’s Choice Award by the National Association for Interpretation (NAI) at the Interpretive Media Awards, the NAI’s highest honor.
These awards add to a growing list of recognition for Tekαkαpimək, which now serves as a gateway to the monument for thousands of visitors, orienting them to the land through a Wabanaki worldview. It is powerful to see all facets of this uniquely collaborative project recognized, and we are grateful to the many partners and donors who supported this vision. Learn more about Tekαkαpimək Contact Station (currently closed for the winter) and plan your visit in 2026!
Progress on Priority Park Projects
An improved Katahdin Overlook will reopen summer 2026. Photo: A. Longman, NPS
2025 was a major year for Friends-funded Priority Park Projects. The Loop Road Katahdin Overlook redesign neared completion and will be ready for visitors in 2026. A new rest stop and short trail on the Hunt Farm Parcel along Swift Brook Road was completed. Road maintenance and stream crossing improvements continued, and key steps were taken in finalizing plans for new signage and wayfinding throughout the monument. We look forward to our continued partnership with NPS as these and other critical investments come to fruition!
Behind the Signs – Start Your Trip at NPS.gov/KAWW
From the beginning, Friends has provided guidance, advice, and trip reports to help visitors navigate a new unit of our national parks system. As Katahdin Woods and Waters is about to enter its 10th year, we are happy to report that the official NPS website has expanded to include far more information than we could hope to share. In fact, Friends’ staff regularly check the KAWW site for inspiration and updates on our day-off adventures! Spend an afternoon browsing to ensure you don’t miss anything, but here are some of our favorite features:
Things to Do includes hikes in the northern and southern sections, stargazing, and more
Winter Activities helps you plan your snow-globe perfect adventure, including very important safety considerations
How to download the NPS App and use it offline so you can access information without cell phone coverage
Sponsor Spotlight
Sponsors helped bring community together at events. Photos: Hannah DeTour
We’ll keep highlighting our wonderful sponsors individually in this space in 2026 because they each deserve a unique shoutout. But together, our sponsors are something truly special! More than 20 local businesses, nonprofits, and corporations pitched in to support our annual Woods & Waters Day, with many trekking north to attend the party at Shin Pond Village. Sponsorship is a key piece of Friends’ funding pie, and we are excited to grow the program and expand opportunities for engagement with the business community.
What a Year! December eNewsletter
Posted: January 14, 2026 by Sarah Andre
Through a challenging year, one thing was constant – your love for this place.
At the end of each year, nonprofit staff are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from our members, donors, supporting partners, and community folks who take some time from their OWN busy holiday preparations to sit down and write a check, click to make an online donation, or share our posts on social media. Supporting Friends, or any nonprofit, is an act of love without guarantees, based in trust. Thank you all for your support!
After a year with many ups and downs, especially challenging our national park staff, we at Friends of Katahdin Woods & Waters are so grateful to have been able to invest in the things that you believe in – improving access, safety, and educational opportunities in the national monument and helping people of all ages learn about and visit this special place. As Friends’ staff takes a little break over the next few days, we’re sharing some of our favorite moments from 2025. Stay tuned for all the news, inside tips, and updates from the park service in the eNews next year!As always, reply to ask me a question or share a story from your visit to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. Maybe we’ll feature YOU in a future newsletter!
Stars Over Katahdin – A Night of Wonder and Learning
In late September – right before the federal government shutdown – Friends, NPS staff, and hundreds of passionate and curious people of all ages from the Katahdin region and beyond gathered for our annual celebration of the darkest skies east of the Mississippi. Stars Over Katahdin 2025 was our largest ever, with an estimated 400-plus attendees enjoying activities for kids, a lecture on “Penobscot Sense of Place,” music from the Burnurwurbsek Singers (Penobscot drumming group), and observing celestial bodies guided by expert astronomers. Stars Over Katahdin invites us to understand the “land” in a whole new way. Save the date: Saturday, October 3, 2026. Hope to see you next year under clear skies!
Learning to Love the Outdoors
2025 may be over, but at the Katahdin Learning Project, Friends’ outdoor education program, it’s halfway through the school year – and so far the exploration, discovery, and fun has included:
Since the beginning of the school year, KLP has led 43 programs and worked with 700 students. We’re grateful for our students, educators, and partners – as well as our supporters who make this work possible – and excited for what the rest of the year will bring! Learn more about the programs here.
Tekαkαpimək Contact Station Gains Recognition in First Season
At a December 11th awards ceremony in Boston, Tekαkαpimək Contact Station was named New England Project of the Year by the Engineering News Record. This prestigious award recognizes the innovative construction, design, and sustainability features of Tekαkαpimək. Earlier this fall, Tekαkαpimək was awarded the Juror’s Choice Award by the National Association for Interpretation (NAI) at the Interpretive Media Awards, the NAI’s highest honor.
These awards add to a growing list of recognition for Tekαkαpimək, which now serves as a gateway to the monument for thousands of visitors, orienting them to the land through a Wabanaki worldview. It is powerful to see all facets of this uniquely collaborative project recognized, and we are grateful to the many partners and donors who supported this vision. Learn more about Tekαkαpimək Contact Station (currently closed for the winter) and plan your visit in 2026!
Progress on Priority Park Projects
2025 was a major year for Friends-funded Priority Park Projects. The Loop Road Katahdin Overlook redesign neared completion and will be ready for visitors in 2026. A new rest stop and short trail on the Hunt Farm Parcel along Swift Brook Road was completed. Road maintenance and stream crossing improvements continued, and key steps were taken in finalizing plans for new signage and wayfinding throughout the monument. We look forward to our continued partnership with NPS as these and other critical investments come to fruition!
Behind the Signs – Start Your Trip at NPS.gov/KAWW
From the beginning, Friends has provided guidance, advice, and trip reports to help visitors navigate a new unit of our national parks system. As Katahdin Woods and Waters is about to enter its 10th year, we are happy to report that the official NPS website has expanded to include far more information than we could hope to share. In fact, Friends’ staff regularly check the KAWW site for inspiration and updates on our day-off adventures! Spend an afternoon browsing to ensure you don’t miss anything, but here are some of our favorite features:
Sponsor Spotlight
We’ll keep highlighting our wonderful sponsors individually in this space in 2026 because they each deserve a unique shoutout. But together, our sponsors are something truly special! More than 20 local businesses, nonprofits, and corporations pitched in to support our annual Woods & Waters Day, with many trekking north to attend the party at Shin Pond Village. Sponsorship is a key piece of Friends’ funding pie, and we are excited to grow the program and expand opportunities for engagement with the business community.
Sponsors provide crucial funding that supports Friends’ mission and work. To learn more about becoming a sponsor in 2026, visit friendsofkww.org/sponsorship or contact sarah@friendsofkww.org.
This blog post was adapted from an email sent on December 31, 2025. Sign up for our email list at friendsofkww.org/signup
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