aerial view of MDI biological laboratory

Island Journal

The Laboratory by the Sea

The Laboratory by the Sea Biological Lab’s connection to nature informs its work. By CARL LITTLE Photos by LINDA COAN O’KRESIK In the late 1800s, biology was becoming a real science and profession. The discoveries of Alexander Humboldt, the publication of Darwin’s The Origin of Species, and the classification work… SEE MORE

Science

old photo of hurricane damage shot from above

Island Journal

Is Maine Still Hurricane-Proof?

Is Maine Still Hurricane-Proof? By NANCY GRIFFIN The role weather plays in Maine life is as important as the sun rising–and far more likely to be talked about. On the coast, and especially on islands where life revolves around boats and ferries, knowing the weather in advance and preparing for… SEE MORE

man pushing luggage through ankle-deep water

Island Journal

Along the American Archipelago, Signs Are Everywhere

Along the American Archipelago, Signs Are Everywhere Rising seas, warming waters impacting islands in Alaska, the Carolinas, the Chesapeake By PHILIP CONKLING When Maine islanders meet islanders from other American coastlines, you might notice a bit of deference in the air. Maine’s 15 year-round island communities have standing around the… SEE MORE

Island Journal

Aquaculture’s Next Wave

Aquaculture’s Next Wave Mussels, oysters, and kelp emerging along Maine’s southern coast. By Nancy Griffin Casco Bay, dotted with hundreds of islands and stretching over 25 miles from Cape Elizabeth to Cape Small, is seeing an upswing in what could prove to be a new economic engine for the area—shellfish… SEE MORE

windmills in the distance behind a body of water

Island Journal

Song of the Samsingers

Landing on Samsø Island, part of Denmark, we were greeted by a kind of rock star. “Hello! My name is Søren,” exclaimed the man. “I am the lead singer of the Samsingers,” he smiled, echoing a local pun (the residents of the island are known as “Samsingers”). Søren Hermansen was… SEE MORE

Island Journal

Dialed Back in Time

Dialed Back in Time The carved and polished past on Maine’s beaches. STORY BY DANA WILDE PHOTOS BY PETER RALSTON Twenty thousand years ago, the snow was deep in Maine. Really deep. America for about 60,000 years. Not much of it was melting. Snowfall after snowfall built up, packing the… SEE MORE

Island Journal

Your First Atlas

Not one of the lands written into your destiny will speak to you the language of your first atlas. —from “The First Atlas,” a poem by Primo Levi On April 13, the printing presses producing traditional paper nautical charts permanently closed down at NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey. Demand had… SEE MORE

Science

illustration of men shooting rats at a dump

Island Journal

The Island Dump: An Elegy

On an early morning last fall, one of the two attendants at the Vinalhaven Landfill and Transfer Station arrived to find that a raccoon had climbed into the big trash compactor and couldn’t get out. The attendant retrieved a gaff he kept handy for just this purpose, propped it up… SEE MORE

Island Journal

Youth as Conservation Catalysts

Youth as Conservation Catalysts Friday, July 21, 1882. Immediately after breakfast all members of the camp sailed out of the harbor and over to the seawall . . . About two hours were spent on shore, Townsend and Spelman with their guns and Clark with his hammer, confining their attention… SEE MORE

An artist's rendering of the three proposed wind turbines off Block Island

Island Journal

The Cable Is the Key

Block Island, 13 miles south of the Rhode Island coast, is a postcard of beaches, quaint shops, and wild conservation land. With a year-round population of 1,000 residents and a summer population that can reach 10,000, it follows the seasonal ebb and flow of many New England islands. The place… SEE MORE