Blog

On April 17th, the Maine State Ferry Service released a new fare schedule for service to the six island communities they serve. The new fare schedule is the first fare increase since 2009 and comes after the state ferry service backed away from a proposal to give Maine residents a discounted rate compared to non-Maine residents. Different communities will feel the impact of the fare changes in different ways, with Islesboro seeing a substantial increase. On Thursday April 19th, Islesboro residents organized a gathering to highlight the concerns the community has with the new fares.

Island students and their families recently spent a Saturday together as part of the annual Induction and Send-off for our Mentoring, Access and Persistence program (MAP) participants. MAP is a college scholarship program for island students that emphasizes personalized wraparound services for both the student and their family, beginning at the end of a student’s junior year of high school.

Digital literacy means having knowledge and competence with digital tools. By improving internet proficiency, businesses benefit from growth, workforce development, health access, community and civic engagement, student education, and all-around quality of life. Improved digital literacy also drives support for better-connected communities. It’s our plan to expand offerings in the coming year, and we would love to hear from you about what would be helpful to keep your business going in this increasingly competitive world.

Winter is often a slower time for business along Maine's coast, allowing all of us a bit of space to think about upcoming opportunities and challenges facing our businesses. Maybe there is a certification that you have been meaning to pursue for years that would allow you to expand your business. Or maybe you are interested in working with a consultant to be more effective in advertising your products. The Island Institute is offering our Microgrants for Entrepreneurship and Community Impact (MECI) to island and coastal businesses who want to improve the way their business is run. Learn more about applying for a MECI grant, and reach out to us to discuss your idea!

Transitioning into the first year of high school can be intimidating and stressful. At the annual Middle School Retreat, hosted by the Maine Seacoast Mission’s Island Outreach program with support from the Island Institute, the goal of the event is to prepare outer island middle schoolers for the transition to mainland high schools and create an open, safe place to discuss and ask questions.

Have you ever thought about gaining a new source of income through growing mussels, oysters or seaweed? Now is a great time to launch your small-scale aquaculture business. Through our Aquaculture Business Development (ABD) program, the Island Institute is working to help fishermen and people from fishing communities diversify into shellfish or seaweed aquaculture. Learn how you can join our third ABD cohort and apply today!

Tax season is here, and your to-do list is likely getting long. Tax experts from Maine find that early planning pays off in the long run. Here are the top ten tasks that can help small business owners or the self-employed save substantial time.

Can real-life stories be just as exciting and is there any power in sharing these everyday stories to a larger audience? To tackle this question, a team of four people from the College of the Atlantic, Island Institute, and Maine Sea Grant collaborated to develop a 10-week course focused on how Maine’s remote coastal and island communities live in relationship to the ocean. By collecting oral histories, the team hoped that this information would help give island and coastal communities a stronger voice in ocean policy and decision-making processes affecting nearby ocean waters.

The Island Fellows Program places college and master’s degree graduates in Maine’s coastal and year-round island communities for 1-2 years, giving them the opportunity to gain experience and use their skills to help these communities address some of the significant challenges they face. Here, Meghan Cooper, Millinocket's new Fellow, talks about her new community and the work she's doing there.

What do a high school sophomore, a direct marketer, and a sternman have in common? Seaweed and shellfish aquaculture, of course! They're all members of our Aquaculture Business Development (ABD) program, who spent a clear, cold December day touring farms and learning from industry partners at our latest Industry Day in Portland.