Working Waterfront

The island wave is part of self-governing

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. As I drove down Main Street on Vinalhaven for the first time, admiring the dozens of lobster boats moored in Carver’s… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A trio of history nuggets

As I’ve confessed before, history intrigues me, and more so with each passing year. Maybe it’s a function of age, since there’s more to look back on than ahead to as I slide through my 60s. One form this interest takes is classic movies. And actually, I’ve been hooked since… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Healthcare access challenges older island, rural Mainers

The difficulties that Maine island and rural residents face in accessing healthcare is even more challenging for older residents. While many choose to “age in place” in their homes and communities, their need for health and supportive services often increases with age and the barriers can be overwhelming. A few… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A science-based reality check

The past year has been tumultuous to say the least. Typically, as I begin to write this month’s column, I am at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum in a large conference room sitting shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of others who care about Maine’s fisheries and their future. That can’t happen… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Making the case for ‘reverse take-out’

One of the first things I do in January is to pull out the new “Maine Tide and Every Day Calendar” and mark the dates for anniversaries and birthdays from the past year. When I get to July and August of the previous year, it’s sometimes hard to find the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

From virus to vaccine, island-specific works best

As a resident of Vinalhaven, I have had family and friends from across the country and world reach out during the last nine months to ask about my island’s experience with COVID-19. People were curious: What is the “island experience”? When is an island the best place to be? Can… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Because Maine can’t wait to confront climate change

In the fall of 1970, 11-year-old Suzanne Clune wrote a letter to her U.S. senator. She lived on the banks of the Little Androscoggin River, a once-pristine tributary where deer could see their reflection when drinking from the water and where spring pine and chokeberry blossoms “filled the air with… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

We’re ready for pandemic 2.0

Surely by now we have figured out that 2021 isn’t going to be all that different from 2020. On New Year’s Eve, lots of us bid a joyous farewell to 2020, hopefully cheering at the prospect of a new year. Six days later, we learned we were breaking nearly daily… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Cold water is the tonic for suspended life

It’s winter. This time of year usually feels like an extended denouement following the climax of Labor Day weekend, Indigenous People’s Day, and “the holidays,” meaning the blur of Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas, and New Year’s. But this year, it’s more of the same. We’ve been quietly isolated for months, especially… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Ocean solutions, Commoner connection, and more

Ocean solutions To the editor: In October, Democrats in the U.S. House introduced a sweeping and comprehensive bill to address aspects of the climate crisis by focusing on the ocean. The Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act (H.R. 8632) seeks to harness the ocean in the fight against climate change through seven… SEE MORE