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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May 16
Pathways to possibility
Scholarships are critical for island, coastal students
In the past ten years, we’ve invested over $1.2 million in education and career development. More than half of these funds have gone to our Mentoring, Access, and Persistence (MAP) scholarship.
May 14
Tourism research: Appeal to diverse visitors
Length of stay grew in 2023, but rain hurt
It's not enough to put “Vacationland” on your license plate, have the world’s best supply of lobster, and host an island-based national park. The tourism marketplace is congested and competitive,…
May 14
Short-term gain, long-term pain?
Ordinances seek to stem exodus of year-round housing
Short-term rentals have a long and storied history in Maine's coastal communities. On Mount Desert Island, for example, many families who “head up to camp” each summer rent their homes…
May 13
Emily Muir and the seiners
Stonington painter honored fishers of the sea
In addition to being a painter, Muir was a self-taught architect and designer, as well as an author, lecturer, and conservationist.
May 13
The Jacob Pike, a victim of January’s storms
The boat was launched at the peak of herring harvests
In 2022, The Penobscot Marine Museum acquired a collection of several thousand Jim Moore’s maritime-related negatives
May 13
Readers: Community building, 'important work,' and delightful travelogue
Letters to the editor respond to April issue content
Important work To the Editor: I just read Kim Hamilton's “From the Sea Up” column in the April issue of The Working Waterfront, “The storm damage we cannot see.” It…
May 13
When high standards can stand in the way
Being a teacher doesn’t bring all the answers
Recently, I wrote an incorrect answer to a question in front of a group of students. We were learning how to work with variable lists in Javascript and how the rules we established for variables still applied...
May 13
Unhealthy progression: algae, bacteria, and hypoxia
Last summer’s ‘brown water’ may be a frequent occurrence
Fishermen love their coffee, but they don’t want the ocean to look like it! Last summer, that is just what the ocean looked like across the Gulf of Maine, from…
May 13
The magic of music
A seemingly miserable day remade
I keep misjudging people. Last month an elderly woman, four years my junior, put in an appearance at the Vinalhaven Library to sing songs and tell stories. The event had…
May 13
Indulging in doughnuts
‘Folkloric’ memories of the best-made
The March 23 storm caused icing and power outages along the Maine coast and dumped two feet of snow in the western part of the state. In the Cranberry Isles…
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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