Identify community priorities

Community surveys can help identify community priorities around broadband. The Swan’s Island Broadband Committee needed to figure out where the internet service gaps were located so they could focus improvement efforts in the most effective way possible. They also realized the need for broader community awareness around broadband, in order for the community to eventually… Read more »

Form a broadband working group

Broadband working groups can help distribute the hard work it takes to bring broadband to a community. Like any community project, successfully improving internet connectivity takes the efforts of more than just one person. Forming a broadband working group, task force, or committee is a great way to pursue broadband improvements. Bringing together community members… Read more »

Chebeague Transportation Company

BACKGROUND Chebeague Transportation Company (CTC) was founded in 1970, and although the islands of Casco Bay have been served by the ferries of Casco Bay Lines for over 150 years, CTC filled a market gap for islanders and visitors alike. The trip from the Portland Casco Bay Lines ferry terminal to Chebeague is over an hour long, and… Read more »

Monhegan Boat Line

BACKGROUND Monhegan Boat Line operates out of Port Clyde and has been serving the small island of Monhegan in one form or another since 1914. In addition to serving the needs of the year-round community, Monhegan Boat Line carries a large number of “day trippers” and other visitors to the island, as well as offers… Read more »

Isle Au Haut Boat Services

BACKGROUND Like most ferry operations, Isle au Haut Boat Services was created out of necessity. Prior to the 1970s, it was operated by a local captain with the time and resources to ferry islanders back and forth from Isle au Haut to Stonington. It was then purchased by a seasonal family on Isle au Haut as… Read more »

Long Island’s Volunteer Water Testers

Commercial aquaculture, a source of income for an increasing number of coastal Mainers as a means to bolster their marine livelihoods, is not possible unless the waters one plans to farm in are designated as suitable for shellfish harvest by the Department of Marine Resources (DMR). Zones that have not been tested are classified as… Read more »

Basket Island’s Out-Of-State Marketing

BACKGROUND Mark Green got into aquaculture because of his time spent in labs working with shellfish on ocean acidification research. While he enjoyed the scientific process, one of his favorite parts of the job was the husbandry related to taking care of his specimens—feeding them, cleaning them, and making sure they were healthy for his research.… Read more »

University of New England’s Ocean Food Systems Program

BACKGROUND Workforce development in the marine biology and ocean food systems sectors will be critical to seeing Maine’s marine economy prosper in an uncertain and unpredictable future. All levels of preparation are key in order to serve all the labor needs of a growing and changing industry. The University of New England’s School of Marine Programs has… Read more »

Aquaculture Business Development Program

BACKGROUND The world is eating more farmed seafood than ever before, and aquaculture continues to grow faster than any other major food production sector. Maine’s aquaculture sector generates $137.6 million for the states economy and is poised to grow significantly in the coming years. As a result, more communities are looking at ways to help individuals enter this industry.… Read more »

Portland’s Vulnerable Downtown

BACKGROUND Portland, the state’s largest city, is and always has been intimately connected to water. As the largest tonnage seaport in New England, its deep water harbor attracts commercial vessels from all over the world – as well as recreational boats of all stripes, from sailboats to kayaks. And today, as in previous centuries, its… Read more »