Working Waterfront

Cushing nears purchase of publicly accessible waterfront

Cushing is on track to buy one and a half acres along Pleasant Point Gut where local officials eventually hope to build a public boat ramp. Residents approved the purchase in March by a 211-81 vote, providing a strong mandate to continue with the project. If successful, it would create… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

April can be the toughest month on a Maine island

“The sun was warm but the wind was chill./ You know how it is with an April day/ When the sun is out and the wind is still,/ You’re one month on in the middle of May./ But if you so much as dare to speak,/ A cloud comes over… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Colby College taps new director for Port Clyde center

This announcement has been condensed and lightly edited. Nichole Price, a senior scientist, marine ecologist, and community leader who has dedicated her career to working alongside Maine’s coastal and rural communities to adapt to change and plan for the future, will become Colby College’s inaugural director of the Center… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A Maine island stressed by climate threats

Matinicus Isle Plantation, located 20 miles out in the Gulf of Maine, is the furthest offshore year-round settlement on the East Coast of the U.S. In recent years, threats linked to climate change—sea level rise, accelerating erosion, and intensifying winter storms—have begun to push the community’s limits. [gallery columns="1" size="large"… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Tales from a Town Meeting moderator

Our annual Town Meeting is March 14 at the Islesford Neighborhood House. I’ve attended more than 40 of these and no two are alike. Some wrap by lunch. Others go on and on. Some are contentious, others drama-free as we handle the business of a small town spread over five… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Forever friendships

I like to imagine North Haven as a hub at the center of the world. A glowing dot on a map, it sends out pulses of energy, drawing people to it. Most answer the call, at one time or another. Maybe just a day sail through the Thorofare, or a… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Isle au Haut gets new power cable

The Isle au Haut Electric Power Co. is most of the way through a years-long project to install a new undersea electric cable to the unbridged island. Over several days in late February, contractors came together to splice together six spools of cable in Belfast, then use a barge to… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Longtime Waterman’s Community Center director retiring

The board of Waterman’s Community Center has announced that Christie Hallowell will retire from her role of executive director in October 2026, after 21 years of service. A search is now underway for her replacement. Information about the role and the search process will be available on Waterman’s website. Hallowell… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

From energy planning to project implementation

Name: Kate Klibansky Title: Senior Community Development Officer Focus: I lead the work of Island Institute’s Resilient Energy team on a federally funded program that supports improving energy reliability, resilience, and affordability for rural, remote, and island communities across the Northeast. In this photo: I am chatting with Alden Hathaway,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Port of Portland welcomes new harbormaster and vessel

Maine’s busiest and most diverse port has a new harbormaster as well as a new, 25-foot vessel for his office to use. Paul Plummer started as the Port of Portland’s harbormaster in mid-November after eight years in the same role in Harpswell. On the surface, Harpswell and Portland might appear… SEE MORE