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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Looking north from the western shore of Islesboro
October 26

Yes, it is 'so much work'

Paying attention may be the hardest part
"You make your own bread? That's so much work!" "Look at your garden. That takes a lot of work." "Cooking a meal takes a lot of work." And so it goes. As if making an effort was not entirely worthwhile. As if we each were somehow entitled to ease and comfort instead of foolishly expending effort when there are alternatives,…
Sandy Oliver
Beal & Bunker's Sea Queen in Northeast Harbor.
October 23

Island updates: Cranberry boats, Swan's blood...

Special town meeting on Cranberry Isles on Saturday, Oct. 24
  As a ten-times a year publication, The Working Waterfront falls somewhere between newspaper and magazine. We have an active web presence, and try to post our stories there in…
Staff Writer
Houses clustered on the hillside in Stonington.
October 21

A home away from home… for a week, anyway

Vacation rental market flourishes in Blue Hill/Stonington region
The Blue Hill peninsula, Deer Isle and Stonington don’t draw the millions who visit the region’s neighbor to the east, Mount Desert Island, each year. And that might be exactly…
Laurie Schreiber
Phyllis Sommer poses at her Searsport shop
October 21

Antique business evolving in Maine, elsewhere

Fewer 'Mom and Pop' shops along coast
Maybe you’ve noticed something missing in Maine’s coastal communities: the Mom-and-Pop antiques shops that seemed to be everywhere a decade or two ago. You’re not imagining things, but the disappearance…
Stephanie Bouchard
A waterfront house for sale in Stonington is not likely to be in the affordable range.
October 21

Generational clash part of Maine's housing challenge

Boomers, millennials and an old housing stock collide
Aging baby boomers and millennials in their late 20s and early 30s have one thing in common: they're both looking to buy the same sort of houses. That was one…
Tom Groening
A Coast Guardsman salutes during 2011 ceremonies in Bass Harbor to commemorate mariners lost at sea.
October 21

Guarding our coast, protecting our mariners

Coast Guard presence in Maine reflects state's maritime activity
The El Faro tragedy—the loss of the cargo ship in early October, with the entire crew presumed dead—reminds us of the dangers of the sea. The United States Coast Guard’s…
Laurie Schreiber
Beal & Bunker's Sea Queen at the dock in Northeast Harbor.
October 20

Cranberry Isles to hold Oct. 24 special town meeting on boat issues

Town seeks approval for negotiating
Cranberry Isles voters will be asked at a special town meeting on Oct. 24 to authorize selectmen to negotiate with individuals or entities to appropriate or secure ferry transportation service from Northeast…
Laurie Schreiber
Women work on the Virginia.
October 16

Women wanted for Virginia work day Nov. 8

Maine's First Ship effort half-way complete
BATH — Women are invited to join a group of other volunteers at Maine’s First Ship’s waterfront boatshed on Sunday, Nov. 8, for the second annual Women’s Shipbuilding Day. Maine’s…
Staff Writer
An unidentified ship with containers stacked high on deck.
October 6

Thoughts about 'those in peril on the sea'

MMA student reflects on risk, loss and community
Maine is a state made up of small communities. When my parents chose to move from the big city of Baltimore to the small island town we now live in—Islesford—part…
Benjamin Stevens
Chris Warner inspects the restoration design or Manomet's pioneer soft-shell clam farming experiment.
September 29

Manomet lands $288,000 NOAA grant for clam farming work

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded Manomet a two-year, $288,000 grant to help Maine towns set up softshell clam farms. The grant comes from the NOAA/National Marine Fisheries…
Staff Writer

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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