The Working Waterfront newspaper reports on the people and forces that shape Maine’s coastal and island communities. As publisher, Island Institute’s premise is that the cultural, environmental, and community assets here are rare and valuable, and are worth fighting for.
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September 4
The man, the rock, and the light
How Ford Reiche secured and restored Halfway Rock in Casco Bay
By Donna Miller Damon Located literally halfway between Cape Elizabeth and Cape Small, Halfway Rock not only marks Casco Bay’s midpoint, but also its outer limits. When you hear mariners say they are going fishing “outside,” you know they are headed out beyond “the Rock.” On July 26, as part of the Chebeague Island Historical Society’s Ellsworth Miller Memorial Lecture…
August 30
It's pie season in Maine
No shortage of filling choices as gardens hit their peak
By Sandy Oliver It’s pie season on the island. The succession of pie-filling ingredients growing in our gardens and ready for gathering in fields, one after another from rhubarb to…
August 30
Lemonade from lemons, or tasty seafood from invasive crabs
Green Crab Project seeks to use citizen trackers to turn critter into food
By Kate Tagai Thousands flock to the Maine coast each summer to crack open the boiled red shells of lobster, drench the contents in butter, and toss it down the…
August 30
Lobstering women: Heroic haulers of traps
Susan Tobey White's paintings at Penobscot Marine Museum through October
By Carl Little The first painting in Susan Tobey White’s exhibition “Lobstering Women of Maine” at the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport is a tour-de-force: a woman wearing an orange Grundéns…
August 30
Making my political values official
A longtime member of the Grand Old Party reconsiders allegiances
By Phil CrossmanIn 1958, my grandfather, Ted Maddox, then our representative to the Maine Legislature, brought Sen. Edmund Muskie to Vinalhaven to attend the Fourth of July celebrations. Grampa escorted…
August 30
Oysters—from delicacy to staple?
Emily Selinger uses the community-supported model to build her market
By Kelli Park Emily Selinger has made it her mission to change the way we look at oysters, one farm-share at a time. Selinger spent her childhood on the Harraseeket…
August 30
Penobscot Marine Museum hosts Maine Marine Fare conference on Sept. 28
On Saturday, Sept. 28, Penobscot Marine Museum’s Maine Marine Fare takes a closer look at the state of Maine fisheries with a full day conference. The classic image of a Maine…
August 29
Canadians also working to protect right whales
Fishermen in Maritimes also believe they are unfairly blamed
By Craig Idlebrook In response to an unexpectedly deadly summer for the North American right whale population in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Canadian government, conservationists, and fishermen are…
August 29
Frenchboro deli gets caffeinated
Chef John Roos updates Lunt’s Dockside Deli, but respects island traditions
Story by Jennifer Helman Photos by Dale Joyce Classically trained gourmet chef. Coffee connoisseur. World traveler. Entrepreneur. These words could describe any number of people in Boston or even Portland, but…
August 29
Island communities are fragile, but Great Cranberry remains strong
Success came by attention to practical amenities and vision
By Laurie Schreiber Twenty years ago, Great Cranberry Island had a year-round population of just 37 people, mostly age 50 or older. There were no children living on the island…
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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