A view from Shackford Head in Eastport. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Staying on the path in Eastport

Reflections is written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront. The trails at Shackford Head State Park in Eastport can be confusing. With stunning views of Cobscook Bay, the park… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

In Plain Sight—An earlier island quarantine

While the experience of quarantining is new to many of us, this is hardly the first time it’s been used to control the spread of disease. The large brick building in the photograph was constructed by the U.S. Navy on Widow’s Island in Penobscot Bay in 1885 as a hospital… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A humble prognostication for 2022

When I was asked about the prospects for 2022 here on our working waterfront, I immediately left my number with Hamilton Marine. Wayne called me back within three minutes. He said because of the COVID it would be hard to say what the next 12 months will bring. My local… SEE MORE

Ashley Bryan PHOTO: COURTESY ASHLEY BRYAN CENTER

Working Waterfront

Ashley Bryan: The prophetic voice

In the fall of 2020, the Bates College Museum of Art mounted a remarkable exhibition, “Let’s Celebrate Ashley Bryan,” in honor of a gift of the award-winning author/illustrator’s work that came to the museum the year before from Henry Isaacs and Donna Bartnoff Isaacs, the artist’s longtime friends and Little… SEE MORE

A view of the eastern shore of Sears Island. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

The real lesson of Sears Island

Sears Island and I have a history. This 941-acre island, accessible at low tide from Searsport and then by a causeway built in the 1980s, seemed destined to be the spoils in a war between conservation and transportation interests. As it turns out, the fight ended with a kind of… SEE MORE

Participants in Rockland's Station Maine program get out on the water. PHOTO: COURTESY STATION MAINE

Working Waterfront

Motor? Sail? Row your boat!

When someone who has never rowed before steps into a rowing shell on Megunticook Lake in Camden as part of Megunticook Rowing’s Learn to Row program, their eyes widen as they exclaim, “Oh, my gosh, this is tippy!” said Anna Goodale, the organization’s executive director and head coach. There’s lots… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

New Mainers, ‘boomerangs’ reflect on choices

For years, Stephanie Pemberton and her husband discussed leaving Indiana, but weren’t sure where to go. That changed when Pemberton, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, accepted a three-month assignment at a Midcoast medical facility. “My husband and kids visited on Thanksgiving and we made the abrupt decision right then and there,”… SEE MORE

An aerial view of Bremen Community Shellfish, shot in September. PHOTO: JACK SULLIVAN

Working Waterfront

Maine’s blue economy threatened by loss of access

Persuading policy makers and residents of the value of Maine’s “blue economy” is easy, but if significant investment isn’t made in commercial access to the shore, that sector will languish, according to a report published late last year. “The Critical Nature of Maine’s Working Waterfronts and Access to the Shore”… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A how-to for environmental activism

Advocating for the Environment: How to Gather Your Power and Take Action By Sue Inches (2021) Review by Raina Sciocchetti “Try starting with one thing, and see where it leads” is Susan B. Inches’ advice for tackling environmental issues, whether you are a seasoned advocate or just beginning. Advocating for… SEE MORE

From left, W.G. Sayre, Ren Albon, and Nancy Sayre.

Working Waterfront

Castine community rallies around childcare

In the December/January issue, the Rock Bound column included observations about the nonprofit childcare center created in Castine by mostly volunteer efforts. We felt the success of this endeavor was worthy of its own story. In 2017, a couple of college professors from Pennsylvania who retired to Castine found a… SEE MORE