June 26, 2021
From Maine’s warming waters, kelp emerges as a potentially lucrative cash crop
FALMOUTH, MAINE — One bright, brisk morning last month, Colleen Francke steered her skiff a mile off the coast of Falmouth and cut the gas. A few white buoys bobbed in straight lines on the water. Francke reached down and hoisted a rope. She has been lobstering for a decade and a half, she says, but as climate change warms local waters and forces lobsters northward, she’s been finding it harder to envision a future in that industry. So, for the last two years, she’s been developing a new source of…
June 17, 2021
Grassroots group seeks collaborative solutions for climate adaptations
If you’ve noticed milder winters, warmer waters, and a spike in sweltering summer days, you’re not alone. “Many, many people, hundreds of people, told us that they’ve noticed over their…
May 3, 2021
Maine's Seaweed Farmers Are Already Having a Record-Setting Year
We're already a month-plus into spring and in Maine, spring isn't just about April showers (rain or snow) or May flowers: it also marks the start of the state's seaweed…
April 25, 2021
Broadband talk is finally connecting with more significant investment
Broadband is having a moment, both here in Maine and at the federal level. State and local officials have been talking about broadband expansion for a long time. The discussion…
April 21, 2021
Turn off the lights, buy local, ride your bike: How to make every day Earth Day
The world celebrated its first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, and for its 51st anniversary local environmentalists and leaders were hoping to spread around their suggestions for how they…
April 12, 2021
Art prompts spur community to get creative during Artists & Makers Week
ROCKLAND—As mud season is full underway, little pops of color in nature are turning up on roadsides and gardens. As part of Artists & Makers Week hosted by the Island…
April 6, 2021
Artist & Makers Week goes virtual for the creative economy
ROCKLAND—The Island Institute and its retail store, Archipelago are champions of the Midcoast’s creative economy and sponsors of the past in-person Artist and Makers Conferences. This year due to the…
February 21, 2021
Maine can’t afford a fractured approach to expanding internet access
As with many other services and policy discussions, the COVID-19 pandemic has both emphasized and magnified the need to expand broadband access. That may sound trite, but it’s true. Internet…
February 18, 2021
After 18 years, Island Institute leader Rob Snyder steps down
The longtime leader at the Island Institute is moving on from his 18-year tenure with the Rockland nonprofit, eight of those as president. Rob Snyder will leave at the end…
January 12, 2021
Broadband mapping money in Mills' budget hailed by business, development leaders
Gov. Janet Mills' proposal to add $1.8 million to Maine's supplemental budget, earmarked for mapping and technical support, is being hailed by business and development leaders as necessary to help…
