The back cover of the 2017 Island Journal
August 8, 2017

Drone images of the lobster fleet

Maine is known around the world for the iconic lobster boats that dot the coast and are the primary vehicle for the state's renowned fishing industry. Portland-based photographer Mark Fleming has developed a new perspective on these boats by using a drone to capture them in an innovative, yet classic fashion. The Island Institute is celebrating Fleming’s extraordinary visual record of these working vessels by featuring his work on the covers of the new edition of the Island Journal, the Institute’s annual magazine. The covers not only offer striking images, but also a new look at the boats that are so economically, culturally and historically important to the coast of Maine.
Village Soup
"Basin Mist" by Wendy Newcomb
August 3, 2017

Archipelago to host Aug. 4 opening reception for summer gallery

Archipelago, the Island Institute’s store and gallery will host an opening reception for its summer gallery show from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4, at 386 Main St. during Rockland’s First Friday Art Walk. Attendees can see new pieces and meet some of the artists. The show, which will highlight the work of painters Wendy Newcomb and Gary Hoyle, as well as Appleton wood turner Richard Dunham, will run Aug. 4 through Oct. 29. Newcomb is a representational painter whose primary mediums include oil, gouache and acrylic.
Kennebec Journal
Brooks Winner
August 3, 2017

Experts discuss clean energy solutions for Maine’s Islands

Maine island communities pay some of the highest energy costs in the nation, but they are also leading the way in transitioning to clean energy systems. Learn more during the talk, "Island Energy: Transitioning to a Cleaner Future," August 9.
Penobscot Bay Pilot
July 30, 2017

For Maine Islands, Internet Means Opportunity

If you've ever dreamed of moving to an idyllic vacation spot, Maine's coastal islands offer a cautionary tale. Jobs are limited to lobstering, boatbuilding and caretaking of summer residences. And lousy Internet service makes telecommuting difficult to impossible. But now some Maine lobstermen and would-be telecommuters are banding together to pay for costly infrastructure they hope will help preserve a threatened way of life.
National Public Radio
July 27, 2017

Island Institute hosts panel on women's views and voices Aug. 2

On Wednesday, August 2 at 10:30 a.m., the Island Institute will host a panel discussion on women’s views and voices in Maine’s island communities. The talk, “Making it Here: Women’s Views, Women’s Voices,” will be led by island residents and writers, Barbara Fernald, Courtney Naliboff, and Sandy Oliver, and moderated by Tom Groening, editor of The Working Waterfront.
Kate Tagai and Karen Burns of the Island Institute (center
July 20, 2017

Island Institute receives national recognition for Island Fellows Program

The Island Institute's Island Fellows Program was recently recognized as the 2017 Outstanding Program by the Community Development Society, a national professional society for practitioners of community development. The annual award is presented in recognition of superior programming that exemplifies and positively influences community development practice. It was one of nine awards presented at the organization's Annual International Conference which took place in Big Sky, Montana, in June.
Eighth-generation Islesford lobsterman Nick Hadlock shovels herring as son Elliott looks on. The island will lose its abysmal internet services this year – to be replaced by a high-tech system islanders voted to back with a $1.2 million bond.
July 19, 2017

To Preserve Rustic Way Of Life, Maine Islanders Clamor For Modern Internet Access

Maine is the most rural state in the nation and, also, one with some of the poorest internet access. Out on the coastal islands, internet service ranges from lousy to nonexistent. Residents of the Cranberry Isles, from lobstermen to telecommuters, are banding together to pay for costly new infrastructure they hope will help preserve a threatened way of life.
John R. Gillis
July 13, 2017

Talk on ‘Our Unsettled Shores’

Historian and author John R. Gillis will speak on human movement and its importance to evolution on the coasts of Maine and elsewhere during the Island Institute’s Summer Lecture Series Wednesday, July 19, at 10:30 a.m. The talk, “Our Unsettled Shores; Why Coasts and Coastal People are Different,” will look at the history of human movement by land and water and the role it has played in human evolution along our coasts. The event will take place in the fourth floor conference room at the Island Institute, 386 Main S., and is free and open to the public.
Midcoast Leadership Academy graduates
July 9, 2017

Midcoast Leadership Academy graduates 18

Midcoast Leadership Academy and the University of Maine Hutchinson Center have announced completion of the academy’s seventh program year and the July 2 graduation of 18 current and prospective community leaders. Graduates this year were Alyssa Ames, practice manager at Waldo County General Hospital; Penson Bartlett, North Region manager, Jobs for Maine Graduates; Maggi Blue, freelance artist and designer/marketer; and Megan Brackett, finance director, Town of Rockport.
Some of the new MAP18 scholars at the MAP Induction and Training in March. Pictured L-R: Cheyenne Bickford
July 6, 2017

Island Institute awards scholarships to island students

The Island Institute recently awarded scholarships to 71 island students pursuing post-secondary education at colleges, universities and technical schools across the United States and Canada. The scholarships, made possible by the Island Education Fund, totaled $55,300. Students from 12 of the 15 year-round, unbridged islands received awards, which are renewable for up to four years of post-secondary education. Of these students, eight island students received special named awards: