Zach Field wows the crowd as he juggles and rides a unicycle.

Working Waterfront

Swan’s Island marks fifth anniversary of library

PHOTO STORY BY CANDIS JOYCE On July 30, the Swan’s Island Library hosted its Annual Island Bazaar while celebrating the fifh anniversary of the new library building. Artists, crafts people, good food and an auction, along with music by island musicians, created a festive atmosphere. One of the highlights of… SEE MORE

Boathouses on Islesford catch the late-day sun.

Working Waterfront

Waiting to exhale while reflecting on finite spaces

Breathe in… Breathe out… Breathe in… Breathe out. If you are reading this while in the throes of a hectic island August, you might be thinking, “Yes, stay calm. Remember to breathe. Soon this pace of all good things will get slower and slower.” If you are reading after Labor… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Making lemonade not from lemons, but from love

Island legend, writer and historian Ivan Calderwood left his island home and land to the town of Vinalhaven for the purpose of providing a home for older islanders no longer able to adequately provide for themselves. The Ivan Calderwood Homestead is now Vinalhaven’s eldercare facility, home at any given time… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

New boat for Isle au Haut, Stonington run

The Otter has replaced the Mink. No, it’s not spy code language, but rather the big news on the Stonington and Isle au Haut waterfronts. The nonprofit Isle au Haut Boat Services put the new Otter into service in August, replacing the long-serving Mink, which will remain as the winter… SEE MORE

Emergency response volunteers practice with a mannequin on Vinalhaven.

Working Waterfront

Medical emergencies on islands: Who ya gonna call?

Living on any of Maine’s 15 inhabited islands means making compromises. One of the most serious of those compromises is living with limited medical care. Emergency medical services, in particular, are available in varying degrees, depending on the island in question. Some islands, such as Monhegan, rely solely on good… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A dozen years of work on ocean acidification paid off

There’s something about the timeframe of 10 to 12 years. I’ve read that you can master something new in this amount of time—and ultimately, if you are brave enough, have four different careers in a lifetime. The field of sustainability studies has shown that system-level changes take an average of 10 to 12 years. At… SEE MORE

Dr. Bill Thomas answers questions at the Aging on Islands conference.

Working Waterfront

New vision for eldercare praised at island conference

Speaking at the July 16 “Aging on Islands” conference on North Haven, keynote speaker Bill Thomas confessed to breaking New York state law governing eldercare facilities. He did not seem repentant. Thomas said the law allowed one dog or cat in a nursing home. “We decided to bring in lots… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Islesboro’s Kelley honored with teacher of the year nomination

By Dora Thompson When Kristen Kelley got offered a housesitting job on Islesboro, she thought she’d have a brief island adventure with her two daughters, whom she was homeschooling in Hawaii at the time. They’d enjoy the Atlantic Ocean, experience the seasons and have a refreshing five-month vacation. Four-and-a-half years… SEE MORE

Stonington's water tower is visible above rooflines.

Working Waterfront

Saltwater towns worry about freshwater supplies

With Maine in the middle of a drought by early August, municipalities vulnerable to water shortages were keeping an eye on their water supplies. For coastal and island towns, concerns were two-fold. Lagging supply could mean trucking in water from elsewhere, an expensive proposition. And pumping groundwater that is too… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Vinalhaven hires part-time town planner

Town Manager Andrew Dorr said John Bubier, a retired municipal manager who lives in Yarmouth, will work for the town for 20 to 25 hours per week. He is expected to be on-island one day a week, more often when the work requires. The town is budgeting about $25,000 annually… SEE MORE