Fallen leaves pile up between two cottages in Bayside

Working Waterfront

It’s time to share our little secret

Ask Mainers about their favorite season, and most would probably say it’s autumn. One of the reasons for that choice, some might say, is that most of the tourists have gone home and so traveling along Route 1 is easier, as is stepping out for a meal or a beer.… SEE MORE
A lobster boat cruises through Portland Harbor with the Nova Star

Working Waterfront

Tweaking a model waterfront

Imagine stumbling onto an undeveloped shoreline. Protected by islands, this mile-long waterfront has deep water at one end and a gravel beach at the other. If that shoreline were to be developed for various maritime uses, how would you organize it? Portland’s waterfront developed the way most have, with ever-changing… SEE MORE
A view of Belfast's tug boats from the harbor walkway.

Working Waterfront

Stand-off on Belfast’s waterfront illustrates new dynamics

The Island Institute launched this newspaper over 20 years ago in part to highlight the importance of Maine’s working waterfronts. Those properties, from which marine harvesting and other water-dependent businesses operate, were suddenly threatened by commercial and residential development. The most visible example of that threat came when condominiums were… SEE MORE
Friends pose for a photo on a visit to Peaks Island.

Working Waterfront

Policy principle: keep dollars in state

You don’t have to be an economist to understand a simple way to make Maine more prosperous: work to have more dollars coming into the state than leaving. But unfortunately, many state policy initiatives are not measured using this scale. We have enjoyed one visible example of this principle over… SEE MORE