Arrowsic's Sukey Heard greets the Island Institute's Nick Battista at the Jan. 30 event.

Working Waterfront

Four coastal communities land federal broadband funding

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $9.87 million investment in four infrastructure projects that will create or improve rural e-connectivity for 4,527 households and 215 businesses in rural Maine, part of the first round of USDA’s Reconnect Pilot Program. The announcement was made at the Arrowsic fire station on… SEE MORE

Kristan Porter heads out to one of his two boats.

Working Waterfront

Kristan Porter remains grounded as fisheries shift

By Laurie Schreiber//Photos by Leslie Bowman Anyone who’s been to any confab in the various Maine fisheries over the past couple of decades will likely recognize Kristan Porter—a steadfast presence and an articulate voice in the thorny world of management and policy. That’s true now more than ever, since he… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The census is coming… and why you should be counted

By Meghan Grabill It’s that time again. Ten years in the making. Data nerds, college students, genealogists, and trivia buffs everywhere are starting the countdown. The countdown to what? To the 2020 Decennial Census! For people who do not work with social and economic data, the census may seem dull. … SEE MORE

A view of part of Vinalhaven’s Main Street

Working Waterfront

Vinalhaven plans for downtown’s future

By Tom Groening Though it is 13 miles offshore, the island community of Vinalhaven functions much like a mainland coastal town. With a year-round population of 1,200, it is the most populous of Maine’s island communities, and it features a compact, attractive downtown. That downtown was the subject of community-wide… SEE MORE

Fishing boats at anchor in Lubec in January 2018.

Working Waterfront

Lubec lands major grant to create safe harbor

By Wanda Curtis The town of Lubec was awarded a $19,650,000 federal grant to provide a year-round safe harbor for resident and visiting fishermen and recreational boaters. The total cost of the project is estimated at $19,689,750, with the remainder of the cost paid for by a $30,000 grant from… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Portland shipper offers ‘first pallet free’

Story/Photos by Kelli Park The Maine Port Authority and Icelandic shipping company Eimskip are collaborating on a new initiative to put Maine on the international map, one pallet-load at a time. The initiative, launched in April, aims to remove obstacles for Maine businesses exploring international trade opportunities using Eimskip’s vast… SEE MORE

A map showing part of the Gulf of Maine's watershed.

Working Waterfront

The Gulf of Maine, 30 years out

By Catherine Schmitt Animated maps show currents flowing in, around, and out of the Gulf of Maine, this sea within a sea, a counterclockwise gyre from the edge of vanishing Arctic ice, in and around to the clenched fist of Cape Cod, and then out. As the currents churn like… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

2019 was Eastport’s ‘year of pulp’

By Tom Walsh It’s been nearly 40 years since Eastport’s then new, deepwater-import/export terminal opened for business. In 1981, the cargo vessel MV Ravenswood set out from Downeast Maine to Montrose, Scotland, loaded with kraft wood pulp from what was then the Georgia-Pacific mill just off Route 1 in the… SEE MORE

An aerial view of the West Branch of the Pleasant River. PAn aerial view of the West Branch of the Pleasant River.

Working Waterfront

Taking stock of a Downeast river

By Jon Keller Five degrees above zero and the wind peels northwest. Sky and river both black dark. Headlights shine in the small parking lot. The wind howls, rocks the truck. Out there in the headlight shine lies a slick mud bank and a river of churning brown water. Bobby… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Can our communities be marine-friendly?

By Craig Olson You’ve heard it many times, but it bears repeating: “Change is the only constant.” For Maine’s coastal economy, that statement couldn’t be more appropriate. For those who work on the water or rely on marine-based businesses, shifts in ocean use, diminishing fisheries, and access to steady supplies… SEE MORE