Working Waterfront

Closing the tap on the plastics problem

Oh, no! You got distracted and left the water running in the bathtub. You run into the bathroom, see it overflowing onto the floor, and you turn and run for a mop. A mop? No, you don’t run for a mop, says Jackie Savitz, chief policy officer for Oceana. You… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Lobstermen see ‘dark cloud’ hovering over industry

Lobster fishermen continue to grapple with what they say are the cascading consequences of new rules designed to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale which affect how and where they fish. “It’s this dark cloud looming over us. One court decision could shut the entire lobster fishery down,” said… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Ticks surviving cold, UMaine research finds

Winter cold may not be what’s keeping ticks from spreading north in Maine, a new University of Maine study finds. The research shows that blacklegged tick nymphs are able to survive inhospitably cold winter temperatures with insulation from leaf litter and snowpack, which may lead to an expansion of their… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

North Haven library plans upgrades

The North Haven town library nestles into the corner of Main Street and Mullins Lane. It features 2,500 titles, an excellent children’s and young adult collection, an airy reading room, and an exciting series of summer events highlighting authors with a North Haven connection. The library also is used as… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Music sounds the alarm

The seven North Haven students in combined grades 4, 5, and 6 carried in cushions and arranged them on the floor while older students doubled up on sofas at the back of the high-ceilinged study area. On the walls hung a painting of a lobster boat and the articulated skeleton… SEE MORE

Dr. Brian Beal of the Downeast Institute on Beals Island works with Madeline Williams setting up a test pot for softshell clams.

Working Waterfront

Digging the softshells

Summer in Maine brings hungry vacationers seeking lobster rolls, blueberry pie, and the iconic softshell clam—fried, steamed, or in chowder. Clam prices are spiking in response to demand and hundreds of Maine clammers are working to meet it while the market is hot. “I figure I’ll make 75% to 80%… SEE MORE

Colleen Haskell, DEI's education director, poses with Hannah Greene. PHOTO: LESLIE BOWMAN

Working Waterfront

Teacher turns the tables on herself

Reflections is written by Island 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. Over the past few months I’ve collected stories from students, past and present, who participated in Downeast Institute’s education program.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

At graduation time, thinking and re-thinking

Imagine that when you were 25, everyone you worked with was also in their mid-20s. At 45, it’s the same—all your colleagues at work are in their mid-40s. It probably wouldn’t be an environment conducive for growing and learning, right? Yet in our public education system, that’s just the way… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Chris Van Dusen does it again

Big Truck, Little Island By Chris Van Dusen (Candlewick Press, 2022) Review by Carl Little Grandchildren Maria, 9, Serita, 8, and James, 5, are children’s book author/illustrator Chris Van Dusen aficionados. Allow Gahbi (their nickname for this grampa) to boast a bit: they’ve memorized The Circus Ship, made up music… SEE MORE

Yani Nganzobo PHOTO: COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF MAINE

Working Waterfront

UMaine Machias grads to serve community

Before she arrived at the University of Maine Machias, Yani Nganzobo admits she wasn’t an exceptional student. “I was never an ‘A’ student. There were moments I cried because things weren’t going well,” Nganzobo says. “My perspective of life completely changed in 2019 when I arrived in Maine.” When she… SEE MORE