In The News

n 1999, fresh out of college, two women signed up to be dropped into small island communities as part of the Rockland-based nonprofit Island Institute’s fellowship program. Except that there was no fellowship program, at least not really. The institute’s mission, since its founding 16 years earlier, had been to support the economic and social well-being of coastal towns, but it had never tried this before.

Scientists and working groups weigh in on all aspects of climate change, from heat waves to soaring pollen counts to sea level rise, to help the Maine Climate Council set new goals for the second installment of Maine Won't Wait, the state's climate action plan.

Published by Maine Public on June 5, 2024.  Many coastal communities were impacted by several major storms during the winter of 2024. That’s put a spotlight on a major question…

Published by Maine Town & City in April, 2024.  This article is the second in a series by Island Institute exploring the topic of digital equity in relation to Maine’s…

Published by Bangor Daily News on May 27, 2024.  A years-long community project to bring broadband internet to Monhegan Island will be complete by June 5, connecting its residents to…

Published by News Center Maine on April 29, 2024.  PORTLAND, Maine — The last week of April brings about a type of harvest growing in popularity in the Gulf of…

Less than a week after the first of the back-to-back January storms that destroyed much infrastructure along Maine's working waterfronts, the Island Institute launched a storm response grant program, received applications and began sending out funds to coastal businesses. 

Maine Seacoast Mission President John Zavodny has announced the two recipients of the Sunbeam Award for 2024: Diana Davis Spencer Foundation, in Bethesda, Md., and the Island Institute. This year’s awardees were chosen for their commitment to the communities the Mission serves.

January’s back-to-back coastal storms eroded our coastlines, destroyed family homes and wharves, and swept years of hopes and dreams out to sea. Even for those of us who work on the impact of climate change on Maine’s coastal communities, these scenes were shocking. There remains no doubt that we need to imagine a different future coast, one where our infrastructure, businesses and homes can withstand storms like these and the forces of climate change.

State and municipal leaders say they're scrambling to learn as much as they can about the three winter storms that flooded riverfront communities and set high tide records along the coast within the span of one month. Those storms are what prompted an emergency meeting of the Maine Climate Council Tuesday in Augusta. The group gathered to discuss the impacts from the recent storms and share ideas on how Maine communities could better prepare...