Working Waterfront

The road trip, part III

I will remind the reader that in early 2017 Elaine found just what we were looking for right next door, in New Hampshire. It was a 2003 white VW Eurovan Camper, in perfect condition, having been loved and cared for during 14 years by only two devoted owners. It was… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The power of storytelling, past and present

Reflections is a monthly column written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in remote coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront. The snow is piling up outside, a fire is crackling the fireplace, a cup of tea is… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

No benefits to Maine for allowing offshore drilling

By Kristin Jackson It’s no secret that Mainers rely on the ocean. Whether it’s our lobstermen hauling traps, our seaside inns welcoming guests, or our families visiting the shore, our legendary coastline and clean and healthy ocean drive our economy and way of life. No wonder Mainers from all walks… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Expanding economy forces the question: Who do we want to be?

In September, we’ll mark the ten-year anniversary of a frightening moment in our country’s history. Just weeks before the presidential election that saw Barack Obama defeat John McCain, George W. Bush’s treasury secretary reported that the U.S. banking system was on the brink of collapse. A bail-out was approved by… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Islands I like, others that are navigational hazards

Obviously, I like islands. I live on one and find that I like to vacation on them—Cyprus, England, the Orkneys off Scotland’s north coast, Hawaii, Nova Scotia and Cape Breton, Newfoundland, Key West, St. John in the Virgin Islands, and I aspire to visit Iceland. I just don’t like islands… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Yielding to winter weather a wise response

This winter started off with a bang. As we spent our Christmas holidays with family in Baltimore, we watched the weather reports from home, seeing ice, high winds, and lots of snow forecast for Christmas day. Our electrician had just completed installation of a generator that would turn on the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Our golden age of lobster continues, but…

Last year was disappointing for the lobster fishery, with many fishermen estimating their earnings down an estimated 20 percent to 30 percent compared with 2016. But a look at the longer term picture reveals the lobster fishery as bountiful over recent decades, making it unique both within our own history… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The North Haven effect

Winter is the time when North Haven’s diaspora spreads far and wide. Sure, the core 350 of us stay put, keeping the lights on at Waterman’s, the school, the store, and the church; plowing the roads and fixing burst pipes; and carrying on living in our home town. But there… SEE MORE

JB Turner of Belfast's Front Street Shipyard speaks at the Island Institute's Waypoints Forum in Portland on Jan. 19. At left is the Island Instiute's Briana Warner. At far right is Mark Ouellette of Axiom Technologies

Working Waterfront

From patriarchy and matriarchy to process

On Jan. 19, the Island Institute hosted its second annual Waypoints Forum in Portland. (Videos of the presentations can be seen here.) The theme this year was “Waterfront Futures.” During a panel we called “Big Ideas on the Waterfront,” we heard from business owners who have placed big bets on the future… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Public ownership of Maine’s shore: courts got it wrong

By Orlando E. Delogu In my new book, Maine’s Beaches Are Public Property, I argue that the state’s highest court, the Law Court, got it wrong in its 1986 and 1989 rulings. The court should have concluded that title to Maine’s intertidal lands is not held by adjacent upland owners,… SEE MORE