A view of Eagle Lake in Acadia National Park. PHOTO: COURTESY FRIENDS OF ACADIA

Working Waterfront

National park tourism in Maine injects $770 million

A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that visitors to national parks in Maine spent $490 million in 2021. The total of 4.1 million visits supported 7,070 jobs and had a cumulative economic output of $770 million. “National parks are a vital part of our nation’s economy,” said Deputy… SEE MORE

A lobster boat at its mooring off Great Cranberry Island.

Working Waterfront

Mills offers relief for fishermen, ocean farmers

Amid high costs, Gov. Janet Mills announced that her administration is taking action to deliver relief for Maine’s commercial fishermen and ocean farmers. The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) will use $8.3 million in federal funding to reimburse resident commercial fishermen, dealers, processors, and those in the aquaculture sector… SEE MORE

An aerial view of the shore at Camp Ellis in Saco.

Working Waterfront

Shelter from the storm

Financial assistance may soon be on the way for construction of a new jetty off a breakwater at Camp Ellis in Saco in hopes of mitigating severe beach erosion the seaside community has contended with for generations. The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have passed the Water Resources Development… SEE MORE

Community Shellfish FILE PHOTO: JACK SULLIVAN

Working Waterfront

Reviving lobster pounds as oyster farms

Few places exemplify the resilient and sustainable coastal communities than the aptly named Community Shellfish in Bremen. The seafood distributor connects local independent fishermen to a wider market hungry for high-quality lobsters, clams, and oysters. The harbor, fueling station, and fully equipped dock at Community Shellfish’s facility on the Medomak… SEE MORE

Chebeague Island’s Stone Wharf provides a landing for some of the island’s ferries. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

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Islands, Bar Harbor win grants

The Department of Marine Resources has awarded $202,500 in Shore and Harbor Planning grants to Bar Harbor, Chebeague Island, Long Island, Thomaston, and the Greater Portland Council of Governments. These awards, funded by DMR’s Maine Coastal Program and NOAA, will be used for harbor management plans, documenting and increasing public… SEE MORE

Capt. Joe Litchfield joins the old salts at the Port Hole restaurant in Portland. PHOTO: KATIANA HOEFLE

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Peaks Island mariner joins Amelia Earhart search

The ship’s operation manager heard Capt. Joe Litchfield before he even reached the wheelhouse. It was midnight. The space smelled of cigarettes and coffee. Amadeus Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik began its crescendo, creating the soundtrack of the Amelia Earhart expedition. Spencer King traced Litchfield’s features in the black, lit only… SEE MORE

From left, Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca, Executive Director Will Everitt, President of the Board of Directors of Friends of Casco Bay Andrew Marsters, standing on the deck of Friends' research vessel, R/V Joseph E. Payne.

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Friends of Casco Bay names new director

Will Everitt has been hired as the executive director of Friends of Casco Bay after serving as the organization’s communications and development director for 15 years. Everitt, who was the unanimous choice of the organization’s board of directors, has led the marine advocacy organization’s development and fundraising since 2008 and… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Friends of Acadia names new leader

With a shortage of affordable housing impacting the ability of Acadia National Park to hire enough seasonal workers, Friends of Acadia is making the issue a top priority. “If we recognize that Acadia National Park is one of our national gems, doesn’t it deserve the most talented workforce in the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Human encounters are different here

Is it possible to write this column, titled “Reflections,” about the idea of reflection itself? Who knows. What I can say is that throughout my time as an Island Fellow in Washington County, one of the biggest components of my experience has been just that—reflection. Much of my day-to-day work… SEE MORE

Russ Tamblyn and Diane Varsi in a publicity still from Peyton Place.

Working Waterfront

Imagining coastal Maine, from ‘Peyton Place’ to ‘Murder She Wrote’

When I moved to Portland in 1988, I did not come alone: hundreds, perhaps thousands of images tagged along providing me with a vivid mental map of this place where place still matters. Rocky coasts, lighthouses, and lobster rolls, of course, but also quaint downtowns of white clapboard houses, shade… SEE MORE