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September 29
Lobstermen’s Association sues over whale rules
MLA claims feds relied on poor information
The Maine Lobstermen’s Association filed a lawsuit in early September against the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the Secretary of Commerce in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the federal government’s ten‐year whale protection plan. The suit claims the plan will all but eliminate the Maine lobster fishery yet still fail to save endangered right…
September 29
An island field of dreams
Vinalhaven Little League team dominates
This summer, my ten-year-old grandson and ten other kids about his own age, encouraged by a large group of conspiratorial island adults, poured a pitcher of ice water over the…
September 29
Islands celebrate the Fourth with picnics
Traditions remain vital on both Cranberry islands
Both Little and Great Cranberry Islands will be celebrating the 4th of July this year with community picnics. On the big island the picnic starts at high noon. Everyone is…
September 16
Feds limit lobstering to protect right whales
NMF imposes seasonal ban on 967-square miles
A long-anticipated ruling by the National Marine Fisheries Service aimed at protecting the endangered North Atlantic right whale was issued Aug. 30. The ruling impacts Maine’s signature fishery on several…
September 16
The tenuousness of wild places
A trip west reminds us of nature’s fragility
I'm writing this month's column poolside, a very unusual place for me to be. After not leaving the state for 18 months, Bill, Penrose, and I masked up, braved a…
September 15
Memoir traces abuse, addiction, and revival
Actor who keeps a home in Rockport confronts his past
Walking With Ghosts By Gabriel Byrne (Grove Press, 2021) Since reading Gabriel Byrne’s recently published memoir Walking With Ghosts, I’ve delayed watching the newest HBO season of In Treatment in…
September 15
‘Stitching Ourselves Together’ tells Native art story
Bar Harbor’s Abbe Museum revives art form
The first part of the title of the gem of a show, “Stitching Ourselves Together: Mi’kmaq Porcupine Quillwork” at Bar Harbor’s Abbe Museum resonates with multiple meanings. Yes, it refers…
September 15
Finding the origins of the nation’s origin story
Colin Woodard’s latest book explores American myth
Six months to the day after supporters of President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol, Colin Woodard stood on the grass of Camden Public Library’s amphitheater, looking over the harbor where…
September 8
A sober measure of ocean resilience
‘Blue’ economic sector is small, but impacts are large
When we talk about ocean resilience, we are talking about capacity to heal and sustain ocean systems over time when interrupted by natural events such as extreme weather, flooding, and…
September 8
Revisiting Isaac’s Storm
Account of deadly Texas hurricane is a warning
Isaac’s Storm: A man, a time, and the deadliest hurricane in history By Erik Larson Now that nearly everyone with a three-digit IQ has come to realize that “denial” is…
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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