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June 11
Maine should lead when it comes to recycling
Packaging producers must help fund infrastructure
More than 30 years ago, Maine set out to recycle or compost 50 percent of our waste annually. Today, we're not even close to achieving that goal. We're going backwards, according to a new report from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Just under 38 percent of our waste was recycled in 2019. The state must find ways to boost…
June 11
Finding a community’s stories, old and new
There’s as much to learn in the search as in the answer
Reflections is written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront. In…
June 9
Gamage Shipyard in South Bristol begins new chapter
New owners take over helm of historic yard
PHOTOS BY MICHELE STAPLETON This spring, the historic Gamage Shipyard in South Bristol began a new chapter under new ownership. The three new owners—Mike Tatro, John Vinal, and Carol Morrison—closed…
June 9
Native peoples should inform land use policy
Study shows biodiversity followed indigenous management
Indigenous peoples should be part of land use decisions, asserts Darren Ranco, a University of Maine associate professor of anthropology and citizen of Penobscot Nation. “We have to be at…
June 9
Machias dike project raises sea level, fish concerns
DOT weighing fix for bridge and dike that carry Route 1
The Maine Department of Transportation is moving forward with plans to replace the 90-year-old dike and bridge that carries Route 1over the Middle River in Machias, but new concerns will…
June 4
Reviving Rachel Field whose muse was Cranberry Isles
Biography portrays beloved, troubled New England writer
The Field House: A Writer’s Life Lost and Found on an Island in Maine She Writes Press Early in The Field House: A Writer’s Life Lost and Found on an…
June 4
Caring for our elders: A call to action
State must address critical problems in services
Maine’s getting old, faster than any other state. Now is the time for “policymakers and lawmakers to think boldly about how best to address Mainers’ needs for long-term care services.”…
June 3
Numbers don’t always accurately tell our stories
Rural communities can be misrepresented in data collection
Data collection may seem like an exacting approach in capturing community reality, but if the measuring tool does not match what is being measured, inequity can result. As Catherine D'Ignazio,…
June 3
Cruel April twice experienced
This difficult month bracketed pandemic
April has always been a month that plays hard with my emotions. The weather has intense mood swings and suddenly there are a million things to do, not enough hours…
June 3
Why CMP corridor is good deal for Maine
From broadband to education, benefits are many
The op-ed piece by Tom Saviello in the April issue of The Working Waterfront opposing the CMP corridor requires a rebuttal. First, if Saviello has read the May 3, 2019…
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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