The Working Waterfront newspaper reports on the people and forces that shape Maine’s coastal and island communities. As publisher, Island Institute’s premise is that the cultural, environmental, and community assets here are rare and valuable, and are worth fighting for.
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- Inter-island News
- Business
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- Arts
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- Climate Change
- Cranberry Report
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- In Plain Sight
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November 25
Climate plan: What you need to know
Savings, economic development, and hope included
Ultimately, the "Maine Won’t Wait" plan is essential because it guides the state’s approach to critical issues like climate change, economic resilience, and community well-being.
November 21
Closing the book on Hancock County Superfund site
For more than 100 years, Brooksville hosted mining
The zinc and copper deposits in Harborside were discovered in the early 1880s. The Harborside Copper Mine, as it became known, produced around 10,000 tons of ore from three underground shafts between 1881 and 1883.
November 21
Being a messenger is risky business
Bad news is not often well-received
I’ve been thinking about a play I saw on public TV many years ago, and believe it or not, my thoughts had nothing to do with the election. An Enemy…
November 21
This ‘God-forsaken rock’
Passing of an islander underscores community
When the deadline is looming for the next edition of The Working Waterfront, I reflect on what I’ve seen, heard, and shared in communities along the coast. Without fail, Tom…
November 20
A modernist visits Hinckley boatyard
Bechtle translated Maine into lively abstracts
Bechtle offered an intriguing assortment of symbols and shapes to represent the marine setting, including bright red pennants, a black cross, circles, and squares.
November 20
At the mussel farm with Island Institute's Lia Morris
I spent the day on the water with members of local and state government and staff from Sunrise County Economic Council touring Marshall Cove mussel farm off Islesboro.
November 19
A misheard word led to iconic photo
An unusual Wyeth, Ruohomaa 1951 collaboration
A working waterfront is loosely defined as critical access to coastal waters for people engaged in commercial and recreational fishing, seafood processing, boat building, aquaculture, and other water-dependent businesses. The…
November 19
In the face of change, towns must plan
Community vision guides municipal futures
As a multi-generational Mainer, I believe what makes this state special is that there has been such little change. I’ve had the opportunity to work with several local historians who share photos of their town and it’s amazing how recognizable places still are.
November 19
Our ocean’s troubling plastic problem
Floating, sinking, it travels across the globe
As I stood on the Rockland breakwater, trying to pry a piece of Styrofoam from between two boulders, my Island Institute co-workers scoured the beach, picking up trash as part…
November 19
Remembering Lonnie and the Gawker
Against tough odds, he kept cooking
A man possessed of a measure of resilience way beyond nearly anything the rest of us will ever have to muster, or need to, died on Sept. 29. Before that…
Island Postcards
EPISODE 10: Keep the Light Shining
Two ambitious young women swam around the entire Island of Isle au Haut during the summer of 2019 to raise money for crucial renovations to the lighthouse.
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