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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August 22

Doing ‘the green thing’ is nothing new

Disposable kitchen culture continues to push its way into our lives
Some of us old baby boomers and a handful of those a little older are sharing a much-forwarded email item entitled “The Green Thing.” It’s a video which begins with a scene in the grocery store where a bagger stuffs groceries into a plastic bag for an older customer while the older woman apologizes and says, “We didn’t have this…
Sandy Oliver
Members of the two island lighthouse committees pose on the walkway at the Isle au Haut light.
August 22

Lighthouse ‘Friends’ from Isle au Haut, Swan’s Island become friends

Restoration challenges buoyed by shared information on visits
COURTESY DOUGLAS CORNMAN/MAINE SEACOAST MISSION Burnt Coat Harbor Lighthouse on Swan's Island. Two small island communities working to preserve their lighthouses are learning about each other’s efforts through field trips.…
Tom Groening
A house on Hancock Point boarded up for winter.
August 22

Reader views on affordable housing

Opinions expressed on The Working Waterfront's Facebook page
This month, we sought reader thoughts on affordable housing, asking on The Working Waterfront’s Facebook page: Has your town already been priced out of the starter house market? If prices…
Tom Groening
August 22

Sharing sourdough a way to spread island flavor

Each batch absorbs part of its environment
I recently participated in the Island Institute’s summer lecture series in Rockland, in fine company with fellow columnists Sandra Oliver and Courtney Naliboff. We answered questions about what it was…
Barbara Fernald
The Margaret Todd obscures the view of a cruise ship off Bar Harbor.
August 22

Southwest Harbor cool on cruise ships

‘Quiet side’ town wary of impacts from visiting vessels, passengers
Bar Harbor is Maine’s top cruise ship port, with 165 visit scheduled this year, bringing 226,846 passengers—up from 121 visits and 159,515 passengers in 2016. On cruise ship days, the…
Laurie Schreiber
The Emerson harvester
August 22

The science, history, and business of the Maine blueberry

Production is higher than ever, with fewer acres cultivated
Maine’s wild blueberries started out 10,000 years ago as a scrappy survivor in the nutrient-deficient sandy plain left behind by receding glaciers. Today, the wild blueberry is a signature Maine…
Laurie Schreiber
A wooden trap decays on the shore in Corea.
August 21

​A new, plastic threat to ocean health

Large mooring buoys spewing foam beads hurt fish, birds, marine mammals
By Charles A. Kniffen Twenty-five years of kayaking the Maine coast from Brown Cow ledge in Casco Bay to trailing minke whales off West Quoddy Light; one-quarter of a century…
Test Journo
Visitors flock to the top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park
August 21

Acadia planners, public seek to alleviate congestion

Cadillac Mountain access road closed during holiday weekend
The Fourth of July holiday, which many used as a four-day weekend, brought lots of visitors to Acadia National Park. That meant traffic congestion, a situation that continues to be…
Laurie Schreiber
The Nonesuch River in Southern Maine.
August 21

Estuary Beat: Storm surge, stripers, and the oyster trail

Good news about striped bass, salmon All reports indicate that migratory fish had a strong season. Striped bass runs contined in Maine rivers into August, according to Bruce Joule of…
Catherine Schmitt
Houses close to the shore on Moody Beach in Wells
August 21

Maine beaches remain battlegrounds

Erosion, pollution, and access issues explored at annual conference
A day-long conference devoted to beaches on the coast of Maine, in July, might seem like, well, a day at the beach. In fact, beaches here are at the center…
Tom Groening

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.

WATCH ALL ISLAND POSTCARDS

 

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