Downed trees in Acadia National Park after the strong winter storms. PHOTO: CATHERINE SCHMITT

Working Waterfront

Storms have lasting impact on coastal forests

At Seawall, crews removed some 700 fallen trees that blocked roads and created safety hazards in a popular picnic and camping area, but otherwise the blowdowns at Otter Point and other locations are being left in place. SEE MORE

University of Maine doctoral candidate Phoebe Jekielk, right, works with students from Islesboro Central School in Stonington.

Working Waterfront

Students contribute to ‘archipelago of knowledge’

The crew of high school students and Hurricane Island educators joined Dr. Carla Guenther, chief scientist at the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries, who is the principal investigator. The focus of this project is to understand where to find juvenile scallops... SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

No surprise: Bad weather causing outages

Severe storms (other than tropical cyclones) and winter weather accounted for nearly three-quarters of these outages. Hurricanes and tropical storms accounted for 14% of outages... SEE MORE

A panel discussion on small-scale aquaculture in Stonington on April 24 included, from left: Marsden Brewer, Mike Talhauser, Abby Barrows, Christian Brayden, Jaclyn Robidoux, and Kyle Pepperman.

Working Waterfront

A way forward for marine economy: Small-scale aquaculture

Near the end of an April 24 panel discussion in Stonington, a speaker described what he hoped the harbor would look like 50 years from now. Today, early mornings see fishermen heading out in skiffs to their boats, off to haul traps in this top-landing lobster port. But in the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Hope: A framework for climate action

Hope is a framework for action. There is a great distinction between hoping (which is all about action) and wishing (which is passive, having a desire but believing there is nothing we can do). SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The importance of measuring greenhouse gases

Greenhouse gas assessments provide measurable evidence to show consumers environmentally friendly practices. SEE MORE

An aerial view of Sea Meadow waterfront marine center in Yarmouth. PHOTO: COURTESY TAYLOR APPOLONIO

Working Waterfront

Sea Meadow on firmer ground with funding

Sea Meadow is a 12-acre parcel along the tidal Cousins River, which flows into the Royal River and into Casco Bay. The property is located on a dirt road about a quarter mile from busy Route 1 and has been occupied by two boatbuilders for decades. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Readers: Community building, ‘important work,’ and delightful travelogue

Important work To the Editor: I just read Kim Hamilton's “From the Sea Up” column in the April issue of The Working Waterfront, “The storm damage we cannot see.” It was excellent. As a psychiatrist, I’m so glad you’re noting the psychological impact of these terrible coastal storms and encouraging… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Unhealthy progression: algae, bacteria, and hypoxia

Fishermen love their coffee, but they don’t want the ocean to look like it! Last summer, that is just what the ocean looked like across the Gulf of Maine, from Penobscot Bay to Martha's Vineyard. The brown water was the result of a massive bloom of microscopic algae (otherwise known… SEE MORE

Young, healthy sea stars were found in Acadia National Park.

Working Waterfront

Despite regeneration ability, sea stars are dying

Turns out we’ve been looking at starfish all wrong. First, they’re not fish. They belong to a group of marine invertebrates called echinoderms, which also includes sea urchins, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers. Starfish now go by the classy common name of sea stars. Then there’s the matter of those… SEE MORE