Blog

Early last week Marine Programs Director Nick Battista and I traveled to Washington, D.C., for an ocean planning "fly-in" event hosted by the Ocean Conservancy. Groups from throughout New England and the Mid-Atlantic were invited to come to Capitol Hill to talk about ocean planning, including harbormasters, recreational boaters, maritime commerce, and fishermen.

As a new member of the Island Institute, Mott Feibusch shares what he loves about living on an island, stories about Monhegan, and what being a member means to him.

The Down Bay Technology Task Force, made up of representatives from the broadband working groups of three island communities (Chebeague Island, Cliff Island, and Long Island), is seeking an engineered design for broadband infrastructure by the end of August. A request for information has been posted, and responses are due by June 16.

The Mentoring, Access and Persistence (MAP) program for high school juniors launched in March with a lunch and learning session in Northport. 16 students will be supported as they apply to and begin post-secondary education. We sat down with Caroline Moore, Community Development Associate, to learn more..

Are you doing a trade show, or have you ever thought about going to one to help build your business? Trade shows can be a great way to expose yourself to a high number of potential customers in one shot, but a lot of time and cost is involved.

A scavenger hunt. A game generally played in an expansive outdoor area in which the participants must collect a number of miscellaneous objects. This activity is a favorite amongst children because it engages the inner explorer, encourages creative thinking, and rewards the observant. It can be conducted in many different ways, however you are always searching for something, and sometimes one clue can lead you to the next thing or in a completely different direction entirely.

Ahead of this year’s tax season, we sat down with Sam Davidson, CPA, at Davidson Associates, who has been working with lobstermen and other coastal businesses for over 30 years.

Island Fellows live and work in Maine's island and remote coastal communities for one or two years. Each Fellow is placed with a community organization or municulapality, working on anything from after school programming to energy efficiency. 
We're looking for the next group of Island Fellows to start in fall 2017. Wondering what it's like? Here's what current and past Fellows have to say: Step 1. Integrate into the Community:

When we talk about ‘fishing’ on Vinalhaven, most people think of catching lobsters, but in Port Clyde, fishing means more than that. A group of Vinalhaven students who are part of the Eastern Maine Skippers Program (EMSP) recently spent a day at Herring Gut Learning Center finding out about other fisheries and their place in the ocean food web.

What can coastal, estuarine, and tidal river communities do about sea level rise and storm surge in Maine? We hosted a forum with GrowSmart Maine to start discussing the answer.