Night sky from Cadillac Mountain with the Cranberry Isles in view.

Working Waterfront

Star Party on Cadillac Mountain highlights Annual Acadia Night Sky Festival

The Star Party on Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park begins at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23, and continues through 11 p.m. A free “Shuttle to the Stars” departing from Mount Desert Island High School will be offered to carry people to the summit. Participants are invited to drop in at any time… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Demand for groundfish data continues to increase

The Sentinel Survey, now in its eighth year of research, collects data on the status of groundfish populations in Eastern Maine. The survey is conducted by Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries, in collaboration with the University of Maine. Fishermen visit a total of 84 survey stations from June to October,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Museum hosts Maine Marine Fare, Sept. 9-10

Maine Marine Fare, a two-day symposium Sept. 9-10 at Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport, focuses on what we take from and eat from the sea off the Maine coast, featuring Paul Greenberg as the keynote speaker at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Greenberg, a James Beard Award winner and author of Four Fish and American Catch,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Digging into the data about our marine economy

Look out at Rockland Harbor and you may see a tanker heading up the bay to Searsport, a midwater trawler coming in with a load of herring, or the cement tug and barge heading south. Thanks to a federal ocean planning initiative, those interested in the maritime world can do… SEE MORE

The Margaret Todd obscures the view of a cruise ship off Bar Harbor.

Working Waterfront

Southwest Harbor cool on cruise ships

Bar Harbor is Maine’s top cruise ship port, with 165 visit scheduled this year, bringing 226,846 passengers—up from 121 visits and 159,515 passengers in 2016. On cruise ship days, the waterfront and downtown are packed with visitors tendered in from ships at anchor. Many hop on buses that head to… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Doing ‘the green thing’ is nothing new

Some of us old baby boomers and a handful of those a little older are sharing a much-forwarded email item entitled “The Green Thing.” It’s a video which begins with a scene in the grocery store where a bagger stuffs groceries into a plastic bag for an older customer while… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The science, history, and business of the Maine blueberry

Maine’s wild blueberries started out 10,000 years ago as a scrappy survivor in the nutrient-deficient sandy plain left behind by receding glaciers. Today, the wild blueberry is a signature Maine product. Growing naturally in fields and barrens that stretch along the Downeast coast, the blueberry is adapted to Maine’s naturally… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The tides as one step away from God

Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean By Jonathan White 2017: Trinity University Press Like the tides themselves, this book literally covers the earth. Author Jonathan White gets us started with a dramatic personal story: accidentally grounding his schooner in 1990 in Kalinin Bay, Alaska, in 40-knot winds at… SEE MORE

Houses close to the shore on Moody Beach in Wells

Working Waterfront

Maine beaches remain battlegrounds

A day-long conference devoted to beaches on the coast of Maine, in July, might seem like, well, a day at the beach. In fact, beaches here are at the center of threats and debates. Threats include sea level rise, erosion, and land-based pollution. Debates swirl around development, flood insurance, and… SEE MORE

Visitors flock to the top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park

Working Waterfront

Acadia planners, public seek to alleviate congestion

The Fourth of July holiday, which many used as a four-day weekend, brought lots of visitors to Acadia National Park. That meant traffic congestion, a situation that continues to be serious not only on holidays but throughout the summer at Acadia’s hotspots. One of the park’s most popular spots is… SEE MORE