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October 19
Algal bloom deals blow to Maine shellfish harvesters
It could encourage more collaboration in response to future threats
In September, the coastline off Brunswick and Harpswell transformed into a scene out of a horror film. First, water around local mudflats turned unusually brown. State and local officials then warned of a spreading bloom of Karenia mikimotoi, a type of phytoplankton that had been spotted a month earlier in the waters off Massachusetts. The bloom spread quickly and proved…
October 19
Great Diamond Island couple turns yard into living shore laboratory
Looking upland to protect the shore on a Casco Bay island
Like many coastal homeowners, John and Cathy Seibyl are used to worrying about erosion. Since they bought their home on the western shore of Great Diamond Island a decade ago,…
October 19
Painter depicts Maine’s own ‘Cannery Row’
Paul Breeden honors the waterfronts of Downeast Maine
“I have always been attracted to worn and well-weathered waterfront structures,” writes painter/photographer Paul Breeden. “They seem to tell a story of endurance and tenacity in the face of the…
October 19
Island-set crime thriller weaves psychiatry and summer rentals
Another entry in a series set on a fictionalized Vinalhaven
An approaching storm converges with Millicent’s arrival, flinging both the readers and characters into a scary, unpredictable situation.
October 12
Testing a new way to fight ticks on Isle au Haut
Multiyear study is administering oral insecticides to mice and deer on island
Darting deer is a challenge in a location where deer are not habituated to people. That’s why it’s handy to be able to call your neighbor and ask if you…
October 12
Our complicated ties to puffins
Illustrated collection explores seabirds along Maine’s coast
Atlas of Kinship: Stories of Connection between Seabirds, People & Place By Alice Hotopp, illustrations by Coco Faber (2026, Littoral Books) Ecologist Alice Hotopp’s book, Atlas of Kinship, has…
October 12
The many perks of a daily walk
Aging on an island
Twenty-three years ago, when I was 50, I felt great about life and living on Little Cranberry Island. I was in pretty good physical shape and enjoyed going to social…
October 5
Marina rebirth and dredging improve water access in Brooksville
Reviving Buck’s Harbor
Jan Van Heek stands over his boat doing something he couldn’t do two years ago here in Buck’s Harbor: He’s topping off the tank of his 42-foot sailboat with fuel.…
October 5
NOAA adopts new Atlantic cod stock system
The fish are now grouped into four populations across the Northeast
For the first time, federal regulators have set catch limits for the Atlantic cod fishing season based on new rules that group the fish into four populations. The revised catch…
October 5
A brief history of Maine’s coast
Book recounts more than 500 million years of regional geology
The Rise and Fall of the Maine Coast: A Geological History from Formation to the Future By Joseph T. and Alice R. Kelley (2026, Down East Books) Anyone familiar…
Island Postcards
EPISODE 10: Keep the Light Shining
Two ambitious young women swam around the entire Island of Isle au Haut during the summer of 2019 to raise money for crucial renovations to the lighthouse.
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