Steve Adams takes a photo from a ledge along the Precipice Trail in Acadia National Park in 2009. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

At a different time, the photos of three hikers navigating the steep rock face and rungs of the popular Precipice Trail in Acadia National Park might not have seemed unusual.

But when they were snapped in late July, they were evidence that the visitors had disregarded a closure that is put in place each year to protect peregrine falcons that nest in the trail’s signature cliffs.

While it’s rare for hikers at Acadia to be charged with violating trail closures, a park official said Wednesday that it’s not the first time this year that people have disturbed the falcons.

After the National Park Service publicly distributed photos of the rogue hikers in an effort to identify them, the violators called to come clean.

Three hikers each face a federal charge of violation a superintendent’s closure for disregarding a closure on a popular Acadia National Park trail. Photo courtesy of National Park Service

The hikers – 22-year-old Levi Brown, of South Portland; 20-year-old Cooper Boucher, of Saco; and 19-year-old Jillian McLellan, of Saco – now face a federal charge of violating a superintendent’s closure, a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine. Attempts to reach them Wednesday were unsuccessful.

Acadia spokesperson Amanda Pollock said the Precipice Trail, as well as Jordan Cliffs and Valley Cove trails, were closed in February to protect the endangered peregrine falcons from human disturbance during nesting season. The annual closure is set to end later in August.

State and federal officials often close areas normally accessible to the public to protect threatened or endangered species. In Maine, that practice is regularly seen with piping plovers, the endangered shorebirds that nest on the sandy beaches along the southern coast.

During the closures at Acadia, the park typically leaves the Precipice Trail parking lot open, with park rangers stationed there, to allow visitors a chance to see the birds from a distance as they’re learning to fly. But this year, the birds were “incredibly agitated” around Memorial Day and in mid-June, prompting officials to close the parking area as well, Pollock said.

The birds’ behavior went right back to normal, leading park officials to believe that people likely were violating the closure more often than in the past, Pollock said.

Derek Pruitt climbs an iron ladder while hiking the Precipice Trail in Acadia National Park in 2009. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer, file

LURE OF THE PRECIPICE

The Precipice, on the east face of Champlain Mountain, is one of the most unique and challenging trails at Acadia and is often considered a “must-do” for  hikers. The trail, a 1.6-mile round trip, allows experienced hikers to reach the 1,000-foot summit in less than two hours. Most of the trail has rungs and ladders to help hikers scale the rock face.

“Precipice Trail is the perfect spot for peregrines because it’s a cliff. Most of those locations across the state don’t have people build trails up them,” said Doug Hitchcox, a staff naturalist at Maine Audubon who calls the birds “one of the coolest species we have here in Maine.” In more urban areas, the falcons will nest under bridges or on tall buildings – structures that essentially mimic a cliff.

The presence of peregrines in Maine is a testament to the Endangered Species Act and the conservation groups that have worked to bring the population back, Hitchcox said.

Nesting peregrines disappeared from the eastern United States in the early the 1960s as a result of DDE, a by-product of the insecticide DDT, and other human influences. They were first listed as federally endangered in 1970, and active restoration efforts have been underway for decades. Seasonal closures of hiking trails near cliffs have become common at Acadia and in the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire.

Juvenile peregrine falcons in a nest at Jordan Cliffs on Penobscot Mountain in Acadia National Park. Will Greene/Friends of Acadia

The first reestablished pair of nesting peregrines were found in Piscataquis County in 1987, some 25 years after the demise of the breeding population, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. There are now fewer than 50 nesting pairs in Maine, Hitchcox said.

While the rebound of the population is encouraging, Maine is still at the point where “every one counts,” Hitchcox said.

“There are so few of them that we want to give them the best chance of success in raising their young,” he said.

FASTEST ANIMALS ON EARTH

Peregrines, the largest falcons in Maine and fastest animals on earth, are known for their speed. When they’re in full stoop – the corkscrew dive they use to hunt – they travel up to 200 mph, an “insane” speed that allows them to hit their prey hard enough to kill them on impact, Hitchcox said. The shape of their wings and nostrils have been used to help design some of the fastest jets and airplanes.

When peregrines are nesting, they are protective of their chicks. If they are disturbed by a predator or human, the adults will make a lot of noise and fly and dive at the threat.

“It’s the most aggressive little bundle of bird you can imagine flying at you,” Hitchcox said. “They are very good at letting people know they are stressed.”

Pollock said agitated birds “will eventually abandon their young for fear of risking their own life and safety,” which can result in birds dying. If there is evidence that the behavior of anyone who ignored a trail closure caused a peregrine falcon to die, they could face other federal charges, she said.

“If you see a closure, especially for wildlife protection, we’re not doing it for any other reason than to protect our critically important resources,” Pollock said. “We’re here to protect these really important things, and we love when the public is on our team.”