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May 23
Small, island-town values play well in big world
From Islesford, to MMA, to the seven seas
Benjamin Stevens of Islesford (Little Cranberry Island) graduated this month from Maine Maritime Academy in Castine. Every year, people from Maine’s islands buy all sorts of things. We buy clothes and shoes, tools and supplies, fuel and electricity, and groceries. Every island resident knows how challenging it is to get their things from the mainland to their homes. Bitter seasons in…
May 23
Something old, something hewn…
Old barn frames used to build new house in Winter Harbor
The interior features new and old wood. “The great thing about something like this is that it solves any interior design issues, because it is the interior design,” said Tom…
May 23
Tales from the boatyards
MDI’s colorful boatbuilding history recounted through local voices
Boatbuilding on Mount Desert Island By Laurie Schreiber The History Press, 2016 In a small, once-isolated Maine community like Mount Desert Island, before it became a destination resort, boatbuilding was…
May 23
The dangerous work of bringing a green peace
Islesboro’s Peter Willcox tells tales from decades as Greenpeach captain
Greenpeace Captain Macmillan, 2016 Big whales, bigger weather, young men at sea in rickety boats as underdogs in quixotic quests. It’s the stuff of good fiction. It’s also the story…
May 23
Topsham: A history from the Abenakis to I-295
History of region is readable, reliable
Topsham: From the River to the Highlands By Robert C. Williams Just Write Books, Topsham, Maine, 2015 Long before Thomas Purchase in 1628 set up a little trading post in…
May 23
When Chebeague came to Islesboro
Groups that help knit island society together compare notes
We all started out in our respective island kitchens on the morning of May 2, assembling lunches—sandwiches, salads, goodies to go—eight women from Chebeague and about a dozen on Islesboro,…
May 20
Hosting a national park is a complicated affair
Acadia’s centennial prompts looks back, forward
The battle lines were drawn decades ago, but there were fresh hostilities in the Millinocket area when Jonathan Jarvis, director National Park Service, visited in mid-May. Jarvis was invited by…
May 20
Islands set high bar for ‘adulting’ beginners
Accountable for being your best self is reward
Reflections is a monthly column written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in remote coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher…
May 20
Maine has front-row seat for climate change
Help scientists with your observations
We’ve all heard stories of Ye Olde Gulf of Maine. Once upon a time, fish swam up Maine’s rivers by the billions while herring gulls—these days known as “flying rats”—were…
May 20
Making sea salt while the sun shines
Maine Sea Salt thriving in Washington County, producing 40,000 pounds annually
The process of harvesting sea salt isn’t all that complicated. At Maine Sea Salt in Marshfield, the biggest piece of equipment is the sun. Eighteen years ago, Steve and Sharon…
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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