Working Waterfront

On the record with… Cliff Island lobsterman Teddy Reiner

A chance encounter on Cliff Island, six miles off Portland in Casco Bay, led to a conversation that yielded rich history about lobstering in the 1970s. It started while I was scoping out the island trash and treasures that depart in early June as the “large item” pickup. Edward Reiner,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Buying a house is still your best investment

The path to homeownership can be bumpy. Buyers must withstand bidding wars, contingencies, complex tax laws, and an array of market factors beyond most anyone’s control. Still, buying a house is typically the single best investment a family can make. Homeownership is the largest source of wealth creation in the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Deer Isle’s bounty impresses this Iowan

Reflections is written by Island Institute 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. For me, the magic of Maine lies in the food—everything we fish, forage, and farm to feed each other.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Architecture for the way we live

Our recent vacation trip to Wellfleet on Cape Cod offered many pleasant diversions—ocean swimming, long walks on sandy beaches on both the ocean and bay sides, and enjoying the quiet vibe of that small New England village. For me, a perennial joy of these visits is taking in the beauty… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Feds provide Maine with broadband funds

The Maine Connectivity Authority was awarded $30 million in federal funding from the Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure grant. This investment is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will support Maine’s strategic goal of providing universal broadband access throughout the state. “As one of the most rural states in the… SEE MORE

A trio of fish houses and piers on Barleyfield Point, a rocky peninsula that juts out into Lowell’s Cove, Orr’s Island. A lawsuit by one of numerous shareholders seeks to force the others to sell their interest in the property. PHOTO: J.W. OLIVER

Working Waterfront

Battle over working waterfront on Orr’s Island

The numerous co-owners of a sliver of working waterfront on Orr’s Island, which has been treated as a public amenity for generations, may have to sell their shares soon if one of them prevails in court. A lawsuit filed by part-owner John E. “Jack” Sylvester Jr. that seeks to force… SEE MORE

The Burnurwurbskek Singers, a Penobscot male drum group, performs at Cadillac Mountain Summit. PHOTO: COURTESY WILL NEWTON, FRIENDS OF ACADIA

Working Waterfront

Cultural Connects program returns to Acadia

The Cultural Connections program returns to Acadia National Park after a year-long hiatus. This programming provides visitors to Acadia with the opportunity to learn from Maine’s Native artists, musicians, and scholars via bi-weekly summer demonstrations. Not only does the Cultural Connections program provide an important platform to support Wabanaki artists… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The islands explode into bloom

Everything Everywhere All at Once is the title of an award winning movie I have yet to see. It also is a perfect description of the frenetic time of year in the Cranberry Isles between the middle of May and the middle of June. Our island populations are about to… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A taste of independence

Not to give any credit to a global pandemic, but one positive result of spending months at home is that at the age of six, Pen learned to ride a bike. She started on one of those little pedal-less balance bikes, couldn’t go seamlessly to riding with no training wheels… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Hybrid ferry is a ‘half attempt’

I was greatly disappointed to read that the new ferry being built for Islesboro has gone from an all-electric boat to a hybrid. With global warming affecting the Gulf of Maine faster than most other bodies of water in the world, I believe we need to make our best effort… SEE MORE