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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June 6
Stark reminder of need to support children
An island is not a refuge from common social ills
Some of the kids in our program don’t have a stable home life or the certainty of knowing where their next meal is coming from.
June 6
Sifting DNA from ocean holds promise
New technology helps predict populations, threats
Researchers are finding many more species of fish associated with kelp forests using eDNA than are observed visually. This raises questions about whether these species are transient or using kelp as an important habitat.
May 31
Hope: A framework for climate action
In midst of crisis, having a plan is antidote to paralysis
Hope is a framework for action. There is a great distinction between hoping (which is all about action) and wishing (which is passive, having a desire but believing there is nothing we can do).
May 30
These are the rules
Spring, when all things are possible
I didn’t make the rules, but the rules require that as soon as you think to yourself “It’s hot out here,” you have to get to a beach as quickly as you can, shed your winter plumage, and run into the sea.
May 30
Bad habits revived again and again
Public infrastructure problems need fresh thinking
The change of seasons—spring being what’s on my mind—can call out old habits. Mine have to do with boats and the preparations they require at this time of year. The…
May 30
Online from Peaks Island, it’s ‘Today in Tabs!’
New York Times touts Rusty Foster’s eclectic content
From his Peaks Island home, Rusty Foster makes a living writing about other writers’ writing. And sometimes other writers write about him.
May 23
The importance of measuring greenhouse gases
Information drives changes in seafood industries
Greenhouse gas assessments provide measurable evidence to show consumers environmentally friendly practices.
May 21
On the record with… Left for Dead author Eric Jay Dolin
Forgotten maritime drama retrieved from history
This has always puzzled me: for whatever reason, stories about the ocean are viewed by us as romantic. It was not romantic at all.
May 21
Sea Meadow on firmer ground with funding
Federal grant strengthens Southern Maine working waterfront
Sea Meadow is a 12-acre parcel along the tidal Cousins River, which flows into the Royal River and into Casco Bay. The property is located on a dirt road about a quarter mile from busy Route 1 and has been occupied by two boatbuilders for decades.
May 21
Noblesse oblige, Maine style
Benefactors like Linda Bean have left their mark
About 15 years ago, I had a most pleasant conversation with Linda Bean. I was covering the Maine Fishermen’s Forum for the Bangor Daily News and found myself sitting next…
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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