Working Waterfront

Mosquito plague has me thinking about the options

By Barbara Fernald On the first of July, activity on the islands is rolling along at a pace that rivals August. After a rainy, cold May and a rainy, cold June, any day with sun and warmth draws us all outside to catch up with gardening, boating, the beach, or… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Island plans community read on difficult issue

By Courtney Naliboff Conversations about end-of-life decisions can be emotional, challenging, and are often avoided until a moment of crisis. But a group of health care providers on North Haven hopes to help families and loved ones begin those conversations earlier through a community read. Nurse practitioner and Southern Harbor… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A new setting gives this parent fresh eyes

By Courtney Naliboff It’s July, and I’m in a hot tub in Sedona, looking at red rocks in the distance, lit by a dry desert sun. My five-year-old daughter is on the steps of the adjacent swimming pool, blue goggles pushed up on her hair, wrapped in a blue foam… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Island-bound on a rainy day, not a bad fate

By Larry McIntosh I wonder if the old adage, “If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute, it’ll change,” works the other way too. If you do like the weather, will it also change? Unfortunately, it did. Even though the forecast was for partly to mostly cloudy, and 60… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The ‘mostly’ universal allure of water

By Phil Crossman My mother was possessed of a resolute conviction that people were good. Certainly, in spite of mounting evidence to the contrary, she felt my three younger brothers and I were clear examples, obedient youngsters whose first concern was to behave ourselves and do nothing that would meet with… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Everything is someone’s lunch

By Sandy Oliver Everything is someone’s lunch. I wander in the garden looking for spinach to eat as Eggs Florentine and notice that a section of seedlings has been wiped out. I dig around with my fingers and eventually turn up a fat, gray-brown curl of cutworm which, when squished,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Swan’s Island Lighthouse gets TLC

By Jennifer Helman Photos by Dale Joyce After withstanding coastal Maine weather for almost 150 years, the Swan’s Island Lighthouse is getting a much-needed facelift. The rehabilitation project consists of three phases: bricks, mortar and metal; foundation and drainage; and catwalk restoration. Tito’s Masonry of Portland is doing the first… SEE MORE

Jeri D.W. Spurling at her Islesford home.

Working Waterfront

Big hearts build tiny house for veteran

By Jacqueline Weaver “Housing is absolutely essential to human flourishing. Without stable shelter, it all falls apart.” —Harvard sociologist Matthew Desmond Architect Jeri D. W. Spurling has dedicated her professional life to serving those in need. In fact, the motto of Spurling Design, based in her home on Islesford in… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Island life still holds capacity for surprise

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. By Maria Keeler Seated in my office in early June, I am surrounded by layers of evidence that I both work… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Beaches are soft frontline in the climate change war

By Tom Groening The sunny, vacation-vibe we associate with beaches was doused like a pelting thunderstorm at the 12th Beaches Conference in Kittery on June14. Instead of swimming and sunbathing, the gathering addressed the dire realities of sea level rise, unprecedentedly big storms, and dying marshes. “Why invest in Main Street… SEE MORE