Working Waterfront

Island tick survey gathering data, but more participants sought

An online and print survey of Maine’s island residents on ticks has garnered more than 500 responses, but more data is being sought. Susan Elias of the Maine Medical Center Research Institute said some about half the respondents are women 55 and older, and there is an even split between year-round islanders and seasonal residents.… Read more » SEE MORE

The October 26 Broadband for Islands Summit

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Islanders are leading the way to better broadband

11/15/2016 - After a year and half, I've come to learn what islanders already knew: broadband is the high-speed, reliable internet that is essential for economic sustainability. I had the pleasure of hearing from Maine’s islands about their progress at the Broadband Summit. SEE MORE

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Commercial Currents: Boosting business with better internet

10/3/2016 -

Island residents strive to provide better internet for businesses and communities

Are you frustrated when trying to run a customer’s credit card? Can’t provide WiFi? Are you prevented from working where you want to live because of poor internet service? Struggling to market your products to customers beyond your neighborhood? SEE MORE

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Emergency response volunteers practice with a mannequin on Vinalhaven.

Working Waterfront

Medical emergencies on islands: Who ya gonna call?

Living on any of Maine’s 15 inhabited islands means making compromises. One of the most serious of those compromises is living with limited medical care. Emergency medical services, in particular, are available in varying degrees, depending on the island in question. Some islands, such as Monhegan, rely solely on good Samaritans who are trained in… Read more » SEE MORE

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Community Broadband Working Groups Highlight Island Strengths

7/13/2016 - Slow, unreliable broadband is a problem for all of Maine’s unbridged islands. Since the launch of the Island Institute broadband connectivity project a year ago, I’ve learned that while the 15 islands face many of the same challenges, they each bring their unique approach to solving these problems. Their progress bringing faster internet to their communities has been astoundingly thoughtful and quick. SEE MORE

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Working Waterfront

Fake it ’til you make it

Reflections is a monthly column written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in remote coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront. Ben Algeo works with the electric utilities on Monhegan and Matinicus as they work toward energy efficiency. The job description of your… Read more » SEE MORE

The former Verso paper mill in Bucksport is being dismantled and scrapped

Working Waterfront

Growing the ‘port’ in Bucksport could bring jobs

Not only did Bucksport lose the paper mill business and jobs that sustained its economy and tax base when Verso closed its operation there, but the mill itself—or at least most of the metal in the structures—will be scrapped and hauled away. Some might see that fate as cruel, adding insult to injury. But in… Read more » SEE MORE

On the beach on Martha's Vineyard. From L-R: Ben Algeo

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Islands, Great and Small, Find Common Energy Solutions

4/7/2016 - Monhegan Island, Isle au Haut, and Matinicus Island face critical junctures in their energy future.Monhegan and Matinicus have the highest electricity rates in New England, and Isle au Haut is reliant on a 33-year-old, two-inch-thick cable as its sole connection to the mainland for power. t the end of March, representatives from power companies on all three islands visited Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, MA to share experiences and strategies from their work creating sustainable energy systems as part of the Island Institute’s third annual Southern New England Exchange Trip. SEE MORE

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Once a TLCer, always a TLCer

3/30/2016 - The Outer Islands Teaching and Learning Collaborative has reached a milestone: the first class of students involved in the TLC are about to graduate high school. In March, they got to see each other for the first time in years. SEE MORE

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Working Waterfront

Domestic violence poses high risks on islands

It’s late on a frigid winter night, and a woman is sitting alone, an ice pack to her face, looking out the window. Snow swirls on the pavement below, and the harbor is full of white caps. He’s been asleep for an hour now. She thinks about leaving, about waking the kids and hustling out… Read more » SEE MORE