Working Waterfront

Storm-related counseling available

StrengthenME, a program of Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services, is offering free, confidential, and anonymous mental health and spiritual care services funded through by FEMA in partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration. These services are available to individuals, families, and groups in need of… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A call to a new generation of coastal champions

As we plan for a new year at Island Institute, I am reminded of the important role that this newspaper plays in our mission. Through our columnists, contributors, and expert staff, we provide accurate and inspiring information about the issues you care about, connecting readers from all over the globe… SEE MORE

A rendering of what the Belfast fish farm would have looked like.

Working Waterfront

Three coastal fish-farm projects dead or struggling

When three land-based fish farming proposals—in Jonesport, Bucksport, and Belfast—became public several years ago, they generated the expected support for their economic potential and opposition for possible environmental impacts. Early in 2025, none of the three proposals has broken ground; the Belfast project has been withdrawn, the Bucksport project's permits… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

State needs to prioritize working waterfronts

The opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of Island Institute, the publisher of The Working Waterfront. Over the past year, there has been a growing movement to address the issues facing Maine’s working waterfronts—from Gov. Mills’ Infrastructure Rebuilding and Resilience Commission and Maine’s updated climate action plan, to… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Judging a good man, a life well-lived

In 1999 I was sitting in the Superior Court in Rockland, covering some routine motion hearing for the Bangor Daily News. The business concluded and all were asked to rise as the judge exited. A minute later, the door to the right of the bench opened, and there stood the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Brenna Cohen makes electrical connections

Name: Brenna Cohen Title: Community development officer in Island Institute's Center for Climate and Community Focus: The Energy Transitions Team collaborates with state and national experts to help island and coastal communities build energy resilience. We work to reduce power outages, boost the local energy supply to support electrification and… SEE MORE

The Fox Islands Thorofare in winter. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

A community recovers by realignment

I’m thinking about how communities cultivate collective endurance for longer-term issues like the risk of saltwater intrusion, aging infrastructure in low-lying areas, and supporting livelihoods affected by climate. SEE MORE

Ice on the streets of Gardiner, approximately where the Hannaford grocery store currently stands. PHOTO: MAINE MARITIME MUSEUM

Working Waterfront

Ice made historic floods worse

During flooding events, ice floes can collide with structures, causing additional damage. This was notably the case during the historic Great Flood of 1936. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Giving Vinalhaven’s downtown its due

Historic Downstreet, a registered nonprofit on Vinalhaven, began in 2011 when a dozen concerned citizens embarked on an effort to save an archaeological historic Main Street structure on Vinalhaven from being lost at auction. The former Knights of Pythius Hall at 30 Main Street had been foreclosed upon by a… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Democracy at work

The fitness center was full, but the treadmills and weight machines were empty. Instead, community members, from elementary students through older adults, filled chairs and stood around the margins of the basketball halfcourt. The occasion was a special town meeting, called to seek approval for a work of public art—a… SEE MORE