A former golf course is going back to nature. PHOTO: CATHERINE SCHMITT

Working Waterfront

Greens gone wild

“We’ll let forest regrow over most of the greens, but we’ll also maintain some area as open meadow to sustain birds as well as bees and other pollinators,” said Whittemore. The land trust is working with Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service to assess wildlife habitat. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The making of a captain, by intention

The making-of-a-fisherman myth we often subscribe to has him growing up on a boat, eventually making captain, and then inherently knowing how to succeed as he takes the helm. In this scenario, the fishing fleet is continuously reinvigorated by the children of fishermen. In reality, the New England fishing fleet… SEE MORE

Stephen Pace’s “Loading Bait No. 6,” (1996), oil on canvas, 46 x 68 inches. PHOTO: COURTESY DOWLING WALSH GALLERY

Working Waterfront

Stephen Pace visits the Stonington Co-op

Faced with a vibrant island world, this celebrated abstract expressionist shifted his sights from inner visions to coastal subjects without losing the drive of his previous work. Wielding a wide and swift brush, Pace captured Stonington scenes with gestural bravado, the paint seemingly swept across the surface. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Thanking a senator for her help

Name: Erin Quetell Title: Policy director Focus: I lead on critical policy issues, such as clean energy and municipal resiliency. I work closely with staff across the organization to support their on-the-ground work through relationship building, coalition development, and policy awareness and advocacy. In This Photo: On March 12, I… SEE MORE

The taped-fingers of sardine packers reveals the cost of the work.

Working Waterfront

‘Put your scissors where your mouth is!’

It was the summer of 1970 when Rita Willey won the first sardine packing contest at the Maine Lobster & Seafood Festival in Rockland. She was 31 years old and had been packing sardines for 14 years. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A rescue at sea

Last March, Avrum and Michelle and their newly acquired catamaran, the Write Now, found themselves driven to seek shelter from a windstorm in a remote cove on the Abaco archipelago. While trying to turn hard upwind as increasingly threatening winds pushed their bow toward shore, the steering failed, unresponsive. An… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Tariffs would pinch lobster markets

In 2024, Maine exported goods to 168 countries, with Canada the top export destination, by far, she said, with 40% of Maine exported goods arriving there. Canada also is the place where most of Maine’s imports—70%—originate. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Of books and boats—Brooklin library to host maritime research center

Serendipitous timing and a simple request have combined to keep a large collection of nautical publications in Brooklin, preserving the library’s local roots. Last June, Jon Wilson gave visitors a tour of the WoodenBoat Library—a 6,700-volume “labor of love” he put together over decades of book and periodical collecting. Wilson… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Alcohol and fishing don’t have to be partners

Fishermen have long been stereotyped as heavy drinkers, a perception reinforced in media, pop culture, and even within their own communities. This assumption creates a damaging cycle. When people expect fishermen to drink, it normalizes excessive alcohol use... SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Finally, a plan to remediate Penobscot River mercury

Some tiny bottom-dwelling organisms may have to be sacrificed for the health of a Penobscot River cove. But because these critters play an important role in the ecosystem, scientists hope to observe a temporary decline in their population along the intertidal flats of Orrington’s East Cove 3 when permits are… SEE MORE