MOUNT DESERT – David Rockefeller made a rare public appearance before his 100th birthday to formally announce the donation of 1,000 acres bordering Acadia National Park in Maine.

The retired CEO of Chase Manhattan Bank and grandson of oil tycoon John Rockefeller Sr. told a group of family and friends Friday that he’s happy to see the land preserved for future generations through the transfer to the Mount Desert Island & Garden Preserve.

David Rockefeller Jr. attends a ceremony Friday in Mount Desert marking the gift by his father, David Rockefeller, of 1,000 acres abutting Acadia National Park. The Associated Press/Michael C. York

David Rockefeller, right, greets family and friends at a ceremony Friday in Mount Desert marking his gift of 1,000 acres of woodlands, streams, hiking trails and carriage roads abutting Acadia National Park. The Associated Press/Michael C. York

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“Seal Harbor, maybe more than any other location that I can think of in the world, has been important to me since I first came here when I was 3 months old, in my parents’ hands,” Rockefeller told the group, which included lifestyle maven Martha Stewart, who owns a nearby home.

He was joined by two daughters, Neva Rockefeller Goodwin, chairwoman of the Island & Garden Preserve; and Eileen Growald, along with son David Rockefeller Jr.

Goodwin said 1,000 acres amounts to 10 acres for each year of his life, a reference to her father’s 100th birthday next month.

The oldest member of the Rockefeller family stood and moved with the assistance of a walker. His birthday June 12 will be celebrated with his children and grandchildren, said Fraser Seitel, a family spokesman.