January 24, 2024
Maine fishing towns rebuild in wake of monstrous storm
BRISTOL, Maine — On the waterfront in New Harbor, one of Maine’s most visited fishing communities, the damage is clear to see. Remnants of wharves that were torn apart by the back-to-back storms of Jan. 10 and 13 are still standing in places, while others have simply vanished, the wreckage pulled out and hauled away...
November 14, 2023
Area Island Institute Fellows get funding boost
Story published in Ellsworth American on November 10, 2023. Island Institute, a Rockland-based community development organization focused on island and coastal communities, has been awarded a $201,000 Rural Community Development…
August 24, 2023
A behind-the-scenes look at Maine’s growing scallop farming industry
Story by Alyssa Thurlow, published in WABI on August 18, 2023. Maine’s wild scallop harvest is still a few months away, but a group of fishermen in Penobscot Bay can…
August 4, 2023
A Maine boatyard has an electric boat it says could energize the working waterfront
Article by Peter Van Allen, published in Mainebiz on July 28, 2023. An Islesboro boatyard has unveiled a fully electric boat that it says could have implications for Maine’s working…
May 23, 2023
With development encroaching, state law passed to protect working waterfront
Saving working waterfront properties from conversion to non-commercial uses is one way to protect Maine’s fishing heritage, say advocates of a working waterfront access protection program.
Article by Laurie Schreiber, published in Mainebiz on May 15, 2023. Anew law is expected to greatly expand opportunities for protecting Maine’s remaining working waterfronts. “This new law will allow Maine’s…
May 23, 2023
VIDEO: A look inside Maine’s growing kelp industry
Kelp has quickly become Maine’s new cash crop.
Article by Alyssa Thurlow, published by WABI5 on May 18, 2023. Did you know Maine is currently the largest producer of kelp in the United States? There are farms located…
May 23, 2023
Electric boats are coming. Will Maine have mechanics to service them?
A regional nonprofit has partnered with educators on a three-part training course to help prepare technicians to work on electric boats.
Article by Sarah Shemkus, published in Energy News Network on February 13, 2023. Electric boats will soon be docking along Maine’s rocky coast. A new training program aims to help…
May 5, 2023
Island Institute president Kim Hamilton: 'We’re built for the challenges the coast is facing in this particular moment'
On April 1, Kimberly Hamilton became the new president of the Island Institute, a 40-year-old nonprofit organization in Rockland that works to sustain Maine’s island and coastal communities and operates on an annual budget of $8 million...
April 12, 2023
Island Institute’s new president brings longtime leadership experience
The Island Institute, a Rockland nonprofit that works to sustain Maine’s island and coastal communities, said Monday that Kimberly Hamilton was appointed to serve as its new president, effective April 1...
December 1, 2022
Area Towns Selected for Climate Program
GOULDSBORO — The Island Institute will be working with Gouldsboro, Swan’s Island and Cranberry Isles to oversee implementation of the state’s Community Resilience Partnership (CRP). The CRP, a program of…
