Category: Environment

Waves batter a road on Islesboro.

Working Waterfront

Resilience is the response to rising waters

By Stephanie Bouchard The iconic rocky coast of Maine. It has awed and wooed people for centuries. It has also helped fuel the state’s economy, as those it has beguiled flock here. And, it turns out, it helps protect us from the unfolding and increasing impacts of climate change, specifically,… SEE MORE
A view of the shore near Schoodic Point.

Working Waterfront

Schoodic Institute names new president

Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park has announced the appointment of Dr. Nicholas Fisichelli as president and CEO. Fisichelli had been serving as interim president and CEO since August. “We are absolutely delighted that Nick has agreed to lead Schoodic Institute,” said David Ellwood, Schoodic’s board chairman. “The board has been… SEE MORE
Kristan Porter heads out to one of his two boats.

Working Waterfront

Kristan Porter remains grounded as fisheries shift

By Laurie Schreiber//Photos by Leslie Bowman Anyone who’s been to any confab in the various Maine fisheries over the past couple of decades will likely recognize Kristan Porter—a steadfast presence and an articulate voice in the thorny world of management and policy. That’s true now more than ever, since he… SEE MORE
An aerial view of the tip of Schoodic Peninsula.

Working Waterfront

The Schoodic story

By Jacqueline Weaver Schoodic Point and its acres of pristine shoreline and deep woodlands dodged a bullet more than a century ago when plans by John Godfrey Moore to develop the pristine property were derailed by his premature death. Moore, the son of a Steuben sea captain, made his fortune… SEE MORE
One fishermen uses a skiff to tow a skiff with another fisherman in the Fox Islands Thorofare.

Working Waterfront

Our readers write about…

Editor’s note: The guest column published in the December/January issue—“Media is responsible for ‘eco anxiety,’” by Mark Preston—generated reader reaction ranging from outrage to support. For the record, the newspaper and its publisher, the Island Institute, believe climate change is human-induced, but we were willing to print an argument contrary… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

​Reaching out to a neighbor on climate change

By Eric Lister After initially dismissing Mark Preston’s perspective (The Working Waterfront, December/January issue, “Media is responsible for ‘eco-anxiety’”) I decided to pay him the courtesy of a thoughtful reply, in the hope that those who share his perspective might provide me with the same respect. So, as a physician… SEE MORE
Dennis Kiley

Working Waterfront

Bar Harbor man is helping an anxious world

By Jacqueline Weaver Between out of control bushfires in Australia and rising sea levels isolating neighborhoods in Key Largo, Florida, it’s difficult not to be preoccupied by changes in climate around the world. Concern, though, can become obsessive and almost debilitating, which is an issue Dennis Kiley is addressing in… SEE MORE
A map showing part of the Gulf of Maine's watershed.

Working Waterfront

The Gulf of Maine, 30 years out

By Catherine Schmitt Animated maps show currents flowing in, around, and out of the Gulf of Maine, this sea within a sea, a counterclockwise gyre from the edge of vanishing Arctic ice, in and around to the clenched fist of Cape Cod, and then out. As the currents churn like… SEE MORE
An aerial view of the West Branch of the Pleasant River. PAn aerial view of the West Branch of the Pleasant River.

Working Waterfront

Taking stock of a Downeast river

By Jon Keller Five degrees above zero and the wind peels northwest. Sky and river both black dark. Headlights shine in the small parking lot. The wind howls, rocks the truck. Out there in the headlight shine lies a slick mud bank and a river of churning brown water. Bobby… SEE MORE