Working Waterfront

My Downeast adventure has a surprise ending

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. When my father and I crossed from Quebec into Maine, the border agent raised an eyebrow as he looked at our… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Yes, it is a pretty great bay

I just learned that our world’s oceans have their own day, and it’s June 8, the day I am writing this column. But I want to bring us closer to home. For our 2021 Island Journal publication, which prints soon after this newspaper begins circulating, I wrote about Penobscot Bay,… SEE MORE

An aerial view of Southwest Harbor Boat Yard. PHOTO: JACK SULLIVAN

Working Waterfront

Saving a Southwest Harbor anchor

Jeff and Audrey Berzinis have no firm conclusions on how to do it. But they know one thing—they want to preserve the working waterfront nature of their Southwest Harbor property for future generations. The Berzinises are the long-time owners of Southwest Boat, a marine services yard with multiple buildings, wharf,… SEE MORE

CAPTION: Friends of Casco Bay staff scientist Mike Doan launches a new continuous monitoring station in Harpswell. See story inside. PHOTO: COURTESY FRIENDS OF CASCO BAY

Working Waterfront

Friends of Casco Bay expands water monitoring

The Friends of Casco Bay has added two continuous water quality monitoring stations in the east and west sides of the bay. On March 31, the nonprofit advocacy group’s staff scientist Mike Doan launched a new station in Cundy’s Harbor, Harpswell. The second new station was launched in Portland Harbor… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

MMA honors student for COVID efforts

Midshipman Korey DeBoth, a senior in Maine Maritime Academy’s marine transportation operations program, has been announced as the college’s 2021 recipient of the Phyllis Tenney Community Service and Leadership Award. [caption id="attachment_25933" align="alignleft" width="300"] Korey DeBoth[/caption] The award is presented annually in honor of Phyllis Tenney who served Maine Maritime… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Navigating change—Cultivating resilience in fisheries, coastal communities

Although there are several ongoing programs that monitor the status of the lobster population in Maine, no equivalent system exists to understand the status of the fishery itself, and of those who work within it. In a new project led by Joshua Stoll, assistant professor of marine policy and fellow… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Days and nights at the opera house

After the Civil War, small towns across the United States began constructing and opening opera houses, including across Maine’s interior and coast. As the days of traveling entertainers wound down, and cars allowed more people to travel to larger cities for their entertainment, opera houses began shuttering. Some were torn… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Finding a community’s stories, old and new

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. In discovering local history, each search is worth more than an answer. It’s summed up in the phrase, “It’s there, if… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Machias dike project raises sea level, fish concerns

The Maine Department of Transportation is moving forward with plans to replace the 90-year-old dike and bridge that carries Route 1over the Middle River in Machias, but new concerns will mean a more careful consideration. Late in March, the department held a virtual public meeting to explain and solicit public… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Caring for our elders: A call to action

Maine’s getting old, faster than any other state. Now is the time for “policymakers and lawmakers to think boldly about how best to address Mainers’ needs for long-term care services.” That call to action was issued more than a decade ago. The 2010 recommendations by experts convened by the Maine… SEE MORE