Working Waterfront

An outsider’s sharp eye on Maine

[caption id="attachment_32007" align="alignleft" width="350"] A Kosti Ruohomaa photo from the Penobscot Marine Museum’s collection shows a herring fisherman.[/caption] A herring fisherman or “herringer” of Hugo Lehtinen’s crew pulls on a line from a purse seine while standing in a wooden skiff in Penobscot Bay in the photo featured in this… SEE MORE

Eben Salvatore, left, and Jeff Young, who are introducing the electric vehicles to Acadia and Bar Harbor. PHOTO: LAURIE SCHREIBER

Working Waterfront

Electric vehicles an option for Acadia visitors

A new rental fleet of small electric vehicles is winding its way around the streets of Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park—and it’s an option being pitched as having great advantages over gas-guzzler cars and taxis. “Instead of driving their Suburban from their hotel to the park, they can drive… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The finer points of protecting working waterfront

Most Mainers understand and appreciate the need to protect the working waterfront, those access points and infrastructure necessary to make a living on the water. But how, exactly, does it get threatened and how does it disappear? Imagine you’re a clam harvester who has an agreement with a local person… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Prepping like it’s 1885

Remember 1999 and the big worry about the Y2K bug? Everything civilization rested on would collapse in a heap when the clocks all ticked over to 12:01 a.m. Jan. 1, 2000. The world’s computers would all crash and we’d be enveloped in darkness as the grid went down and mayhem… SEE MORE

rom left, Tom Stevens, Natasha Stevens, and Anne McKee, who sometimes perform as the Dark Harbor Trio. They played during the Islesboro Energy Jamboree on Saturday, May 21.

Working Waterfront

Islesboro event offers energy stories

There’s a vibe on Islesboro which, subjective though that term may be, is confirmed by conversations with residents. They’re proud of their strides toward energy independence and away from fossil fuels. The motivation is something more than bragging rights, since all islanders typically pay more for energy—everything from propane and… 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

Working Waterfront

Mushrooms to the rescue

You may not be old enough to remember when buoys were carved from wood and lobster traps were hand-built using wood lathe and cloth nets. In the 1970s, wooden buoys were replaced with expanded polystyrene (EPS) plastic foam buoys. From here two issues arise in terms of plastic pollution in… 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

Teen climate activist wins White House recognition

For Sirohi Kumar, a senior at Mount Desert Island High School, seemingly overwhelming challenges become less daunting once identified. “Once you know that a problem exists, then you can start crafting solutions,” she says. Her words—and work—on climate and racial justice activism have gained attention at the national level. Kumar… SEE MORE