About the Park
With more than 30 miles of hiking trails, 100 campsites, spectacular vistas and varied four-season recreational opportunities for both families and hard-core adventurers, Camden Hills State Park is one of Maine’s most treasured public resources. The park’s 5,710 acres span the towns of Camden and Lincolnville and include mountains, Penobscot Bay shoreline, sheer cliffs beloved by climbers, streams, vernal ponds, rare flora and fauna, unique geology, picturesque picnic spots, and an accessible auto road to the summit of Mt. Battie.
WHO WE ARE
In 2026, a group of community members passionate about what CHSP is today and eager to preserve and improve upon it for future generations of park users came together to establish the Friends of Camden Hills State Park with this mission:
We seek to protect the natural, recreational, and cultural resources of the park. Through volunteerism, education, advocacy, and financial support, we strive to advance the mission of the park, strengthen the surrounding communities, and inspire generations of dedicated stewardship.
WHAT WE DO
Our Initiatives and Programs
At Friends of Camden Hills State Park, we engage in a variety of activities aimed at protecting our natural environment and enhancing visitor experiences. We support projects that include placing informational panels throughout the park, organizing educational events on local ecology, and volunteering to build shelters, maintaining trails and removing invasive species. We also offer options that provide updates on park activities, events, and opportunities to volunteer. With so many activities and ambitions, your donation would be greatly appreciated. Together, we can ensure that Camden Hills State Park remains a beautiful and accessible resource for all.
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Charlene “Sunshine” Hood, Manager of Camden Hills State Park, serves as an ex officio board member. She grew up in a large family in Montville, Maine, where her parents owned a restaurant, dance hall, store, and many other businesses. Working in the family businesses, she acquired carpentry, construction, roofing, electrical, and plumbing skills and eventually built her own house. She started a career in parks volunteering at Lake St. George State Park. Over the next 37 years, she held managerial positions there and at Warren Island State Park, Rangeley Lake State Park, Lamoine State Park, Branch Lake State Park, Bradbury Mountain and Mackworth Island. In her current role, she oversees Camden Hills, Owls Head Lighthouse, and Birch Point Beach State Parks.
Paul Karoff, President, is a former journalist and university administrator. He worked in Washington, DC, New Jersey, and Connecticut before spending the final three decades of his career in Boston. In 2021, he and his wife Linda followed their two adult daughters to Maine and settled at the foot of Mt. Battie in Camden. He retired in 2024 and now spends most of his time doing freelance writing and volunteering with several Midcoast organizations, including Camden Hills State Park, where he assists with trail work.
Ramona Larsen resides in Lincolnville. She moved to Maine with her family in 2012 and has been inspired ever since by the state’s trails, mountains, and wild places. A mother of two teenagers, she is a local trail runner, yoga teacher, marketing consultant, and race director of the Megunticook Trail Festival. She is passionate about creating more opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to get outside and connect with the outdoors. She is excited to bring her community-building, marketing, and outdoor experience to the board of Friends of Camden Hills State Park.
Christy Owen, Treasurer, spent her childhood hiking the trails in Camden Hills State Park during summers spent at her grandmother’s camp on Lake Megunticook. While her career in international development had her traveling the world, she always made the annual journey to Camden where she enjoyed trail runs through the park and picking blueberries on Poverty Knoll with her son. Prior to moving to Camden in 2023, she spent 12 years in Bangkok, Thailand managing regional environmental programs focused on biodiversity conservation, sustainable infrastructure development, and climate mitigation and adaptation. For ten of those years, she served as Country Director for a global non-profit organization managing an annual operating budget of over $4 million. She currently serves as the Director of the Maine Conservation Corps with the State of Maine.
James Rossi brings 38 years of professional experience with the City of New York, with a career focused largely on parks, natural resources, environmental stewardship, and sustainable infrastructure. He spent 14 years with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, managing parks and natural areas and gaining extensive experience in the care and stewardship of public spaces. He subsequently joined the New York City Department of Environmental Protection where, for more than 18 years, he managed the maintenance and operations of New York City’s award-winning Bluebelt stormwater management systems. Prior to retiring in 2021, James was part of a team responsible for managing the maintenance and operations of New York City’s extensive Green Infrastructure system. He is interested in bringing his experience in parks management, environmental protection, and public infrastructure to the Friends of
Camden Hills State Park and contributing to its efforts to preserve, protect, and improve the park for generations to come.
Jack Shaida lives and works in Camden, having first moved to the area in 2018 after falling in love with the Camden Hills. He works at Coastal Mountains Land Trust as a Senior Stewardship and Land Protection Manager, taking care of many conserved areas in Knox and Waldo Counties. Originally from New York, Jack moved to Maine to go to College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, where he studied conservation management and environmental law. In 2024, he and his partner Lisa bought and renovated their home in Camden, where they live with their beloved dog Ziggy. When he is not working, he can be found hiking, running, climbing, and paddling, more often than not, in Camden Hills State Park. He is excited to serve on the board and work with the wonderful local community to protect and improve the Park.