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 9
Music sounds the alarm
String quartet imparts sea level crescendo
The seven North Haven students in combined grades 4, 5, and 6 carried in cushions and arranged them on the floor while older students doubled up on sofas at the back of the high-ceilinged study area. On the walls hung a painting of a lobster boat and the articulated skeleton of a white beaked dolphin. Strains of violins, cello, and…
August 8
Have you taken your broadband speed test?
Funds are coming, but need must be shown
In July of 2020, Maine voters overwhelming passed a $15 million broadband bond. This fall, we will see $150 million in federal funds, and at least another $100 million, awarded…
August 4
Digging the softshells
Research may help reverse decline
Summer in Maine brings hungry vacationers seeking lobster rolls, blueberry pie, and the iconic softshell clam—fried, steamed, or in chowder. Clam prices are spiking in response to demand and hundreds…
August 3
Coastal Maine: A sense of place
It was home for nearly 20 years—until last year
Before Maine, the Midwest was home for 30 years. It is again, now overlooking Minnesota farmland, not the Maine coast’s dark skies. Each vista, Midwest and Downeast, stunning in its…
July 27
My wife can’t throw a flatbar
But she, columnist, and cat survive
My wife can do almost anything, really, almost anything. I mean mechanical stuff, electronic stuff, and carpentry stuff, plus all sorts of things that involve thinking, like philosophical and ethereal…
July 26
Ferry service studied, users surveyed
Island Institute working with state on planning
Maine plans to spend $1.8 billion on its state roads and bridges over the next three years, and so the Maine State Ferry Service’s annual operating budget of $12.5 million…
July 26
Mushrooms to the rescue
Fungi-based buoys could reduce microplastics
You may not be old enough to remember when buoys were carved from wood and lobster traps were hand-built using wood lathe and cloth nets. In the 1970s, wooden buoys…
July 25
Our readers write—'Misplaced,' no oil, and 'Smart is silly'
‘Terribly misplaced’ To the editor: I’ve been reading The Working Waterfront much more closely over the past year or two. There is so much great content now, well-reported from a…
July 25
Fishermen at risk without health insurance
‘Maine AllCare’ is a way to extend coverage
On July 1, 1966, I arrived “from away” to begin my medical residency at the Maine Medical Center in Portland. One of the first patients I was called down to…
July 25
Teacher turns the tables on herself
Island Fellow completes her own survey
Reflections is written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront.…
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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