Working Waterfront

The many perks of a daily walk

Twenty-three years ago, when I was 50, I felt great about life and living on Little Cranberry Island. I was in pretty good physical shape and enjoyed going to social events. At one of them, a friend in her 70s told me, with a somewhat sour expression on her face,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

It’s always oyster season on the Maine coast

Humans have loved oysters for millennia, even more than clams, middens of which dot Islesboro’s shores. No shellfish midden beats the one in Damariscotta where Route 1 crosses the river and you see floating pontoons for oyster-raising bags. The Penobscot people gathered here to feast on oysters, conduct diplomacy, and… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A northernmost working waterfront

I recently visited the village of Siorapaluk, in northwest Greenland. At about 77 1/2 degrees north latitude, it’s the northernmost human settlement in Greenland and one of the world’s northernmost working waterfronts. I arrived by kayak, paddling north across the calm late-July waters of Robertson Fjord. The shore included a… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A song of ice and floods

I’ve often wondered what it was like when glaciers carved out Maine’s coast and mountains. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The Monhegan shuffle

Reflections is written by Island Institute Fellows, recent grads of college and master’s programs who do community service work on Maine islands and in coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront. Two rubber totes, two large suitcases, one cooler, one duffel bag, four backpacks. What gets… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A trusted voice on coastal issues

I envision this newspaper as one of those forces that builds, rather than erodes, community strength. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Tax credits would help revitalize local news in rural Maine

This isn’t just a national trend; while Maine has some excellent local news sources, coverage is patchy at best. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Back to school (but not for me)

This time, it's just me, my depressed immune system, and a whole lot of time. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Why white sharks are showing up more in Maine

While that news may alarm some swimmers, it turns out this is largely a conservation success story. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Where does the friction go?

Friction-maxxing, according to its Wikipedia definition, “is the practice of intentionally choosing less convenient options in daily life to build tolerance for discomfort, resist technology-driven ease, and preserve what proponents describe as meaningful human experiences.” SEE MORE