In The News

By Heather Goldstone / WCAI We tend to think of spring as planting time, but kelp farmers in the Gulf of Maine are in the midst of their annual harvest right now. Growers and ocean researchers say kelp could be a huge win-win-win – improving the local environment, boosting other fisheries, and all while providing a saleable food source. Ten years ago, there were no kelp farms in the northeast. Now, there are more than a dozen. So, what gives?

Rockland-based Island Institute kicked off its seventh annual Island Energy Conference in South Portland on April 28 by recognizing two groups for their work as energy leaders and champions for Maine's island communities. The Island Energy Innovation Award was presented to the Monhegan Plantation Power District for recent upgrades made to the island's power station which will create cleaner emissions and incorporate renewable energy into the island grid, and the board and staff of the Swan's Island Electric Cooperative received the Island Institute Community Champion Award for their work in securing a pathway for affordable electric power for the people of Swan's Island and Frenchboro.

Frustrated by a lack of high-speed internet access, dozens of Maine municipalities are working to build their own networks to attract business and spur economic development. But a bill under consideration in Augusta would make it difficult for them to do so. The bill, introduced by Rep. Nate Wadsworth, a Hiram Republican, would impose stringent conditions that critics say would make it all but impossible for Maine towns and cities to build their own high-speed networks when cable and telephone companies decline to provide upgraded service.

Caroline Moore is a Bowdoin graduate and now works with Maine’s Island Institute in the Mentoring, Access and Persistence Program, which provides scholarships and support to high-school island students looking towards higher education. She discussed many benefits and details of the program in the Island Institute’s article “A new approach to post-secondary achievement,” so we decided to talk to Moore further. Below, she articulates her experience with Bowdoin Teacher Scholars and how this opportunity connected to her current job as an educator and coordinator.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and energy officials from islands throughout New England will highlight a Portland-area conference this week. The Island Institute, a nonprofit based in Rockland, will host its annual Island Energy Conference on April 27-28. The keynote speaker will be Tetsunari Iida, executive director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies. Collins will offer the welcoming address.

The Island Institute and Green Fire Productions will host the Midcoast premiere of “Ocean Frontiers III: Leaders in Ocean Stewardship & the New Blue Economy” Thursday evening, May 4, at 7 p.m. at the Strand Theatre, 345 Main St. Doors will open 6 p.m. for a light reception, followed by the screening at 7 p.m. and a panel discussion featuring regional experts featured in the film at 8 p.m. Admission is free, but seats may be reserved via Eventbrite.

By Staff / Village Soup The Island Institute will hold its annual energy conference at Congregation Bet Ha'am, 81 Westbrook St., South Portland April 27 and 28. The event will bring together 150 island leaders and energy experts from three countries – the United States, Japan and Denmark – and six states – Maine, Alaska, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island – to discuss common energy challenges and the resources available to address them.

The deeper cuts proposed by the Trump administration would slash funding for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund cleanup activities and eliminate its support for monitoring and cleanup efforts in Casco Bay and for beach water testing across Maine. When taken in conjunction with previously reported proposals to eliminate federal funding for the University of Maine’s Sea Grant program and the Wells Reserve at Laudholm Farm via the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, critics say the president’s budget proposals are a serious threat to Maine’s coastal economy, which is dependent on maintaining a clean environment.

On Earth Day — Saturday, April 22 — Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition and Rockland’s Island Institute will host a screening of four short films that show how accelerating climate change dramatically changes the ocean’s environment. The free program will begin 6:30 p.m. in the Abbott Room of Belfast Free Library, 106 High St.

The fourth  annual Artists & Makers Conference will be held Friday, April 7, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the University of Maine's Hutchinson Center, 80 Belmont Ave./Route 3. Hosted by Archipelago and the Island Institute, the one-day event will offer practical tips and strategies to help arts businesses grow. It is open to all artists and makers who live and produce work in Maine.