Russ Tamblyn and Diane Varsi in a publicity still from Peyton Place.

Working Waterfront

Imagining coastal Maine, from ‘Peyton Place’ to ‘Murder She Wrote’

When I moved to Portland in 1988, I did not come alone: hundreds, perhaps thousands of images tagged along providing me with a vivid mental map of this place where place still matters. Rocky coasts, lighthouses, and lobster rolls, of course, but also quaint downtowns of white clapboard houses, shade… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Young lobsters not surviving first weeks

There is a crustacean conundrum in the Gulf of Maine. Despite increased numbers of lobsters being born in recent years, the number of adolescents has declined. Something is affecting the survival rates of lobsters in their first few weeks of life, and researchers from Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and… SEE MORE

Some of the cars featured at the Seal Cove Auto Museum would have been seen on the roads of Mount Desert Island in the early 20th century, much to the consternation of some residents. From left: 1912 Ford Model T, 1904 Knox, 1915 FRP, and 1910 Pierce Arrow. PHOTO: COURTESY SEAL COVE AUTO MUSEUM

Working Waterfront

Wiz chariots and sunken Broncos

“It's nothing but a big picnic ground for 'Elks,' and 'Spiritualists,' and 'Holy Ghosters.' The whole island is full of campers from Skowhegan, Bucksport, Rockland, and Ellsworth, that don't do nothin' but sit in front of their tents, eat bananas and read the Sunday papers.” —Arthur Train Mount Desert Island… SEE MORE

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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

Working Waterfront

Offshore oil drilling—it could happen here

I’ve had the privilege of serving churches along the Southern Maine coast for over 30 years. During these years, I’ve also had the privilege of traveling to many parts of the country and the world beyond, often leading groups on pilgrimage or mission trips. I’ve encountered compassionate, wise, and just… SEE MORE

Boathouses on Little Cranberry Island in late afternoon sun. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Island housing squeezes working people

Anyone who has lived, summered, or visited an island off the coast of Maine would agree that they are very special. They are incredibly beautiful, there is a strong sense of community, and they are physically separated from the chaos of crowds and cars on the mainland. Though most people… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

COVID, islands, and the illusion of sanctuary

We all, no doubt, have a vivid memory of the spring of 2020. Life changed radically as we adapted to the reality of a pandemic and how to avoid getting or spreading COVID-19. For me, the March 15 vote by the North Haven Select Board stands out. In a statement… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Remembering Maine’s lady of letters, Elizabeth Coatsworth

Though less renowned than Damariscotta’s late Barbara Cooney of Miss Rumphius fame, prolific poet and writer Elizabeth Coatsworth penned an estimated 127 total titles while living for decades in an early 19th-century house at lakefront Chimney Farm in Nobleboro. There Coatsworth and her pioneering nature writer husband Henry Beston (contemporaries… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A new energy future in Eastport

As a child in Eastport, I often heard stories about the Quoddy Project, then not 20 years in the past. The project was going to generate electricity from tides using dams and impoundment pools. A workforce village and a causeway to the island on which Eastport is located were built,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

It’s time to fix the Indian land claim act

Legislation aimed at modernizing and fixing what is broken in the 1980 Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement Act is working its way through the Maine Legislature. LD 1626 came through the work of a bipartisan task force that also included tribal chiefs and leaders as well as representatives from the… SEE MORE