Working Waterfront

Strengthening Maine’s small business backbone

How often have we at the Island Institute said—like many others throughout Maine—that small business is the backbone of the state. That became clearer than ever in March of this year. Coronavirus hit. We paused. We stepped back. We shut down. It became clear that small businesses were going to… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Marital tension, island-style

Kate Hotchkiss of North Haven has a novel just out, coming at an opportune time when coronavirus has complicated travel and minimized social activities. Reading On Harbor’s Edge: Book One, 1912-1913 could be a relaxing, self-isolated way to enjoy the Maine coast, whether in person or vicariously. Set on islands with fictional… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A new soundtrack for our working waterfronts

It wasn’t just the sound of seagulls and waves lapping against the shore those four years I spent running my family’s Midcoast lobster wharf. There was the whir of impeller blades pumping seawater into the lobster tanks. The roar of the propane blast heater, struggling to heat 200 gallons of water… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

North Haven’s Dave Macy an unlikely spiritual anchor

Shakespeare must have been thinking about small-town life when he observed, “All the world’s a stage.” Though the Bard didn’t say so, it does seem some people are better suited to their roles than others. Dave Macy, 67, has been trodding the boards as pastor of North Haven Baptist Church… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Considering summer raises questions

After two months of having all of our lives turned upside down from COVID-19, we are peering at summer just over the horizon. No one can quite imagine what it will look like. No matter where we live, we are experiencing the angst of trying to find some semblance of normal.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

COA, Mount Desert 365 build student housing

The project will bring approximately 15 students and a guest or faculty member to live downtown, but it will be more than a simple space to house students, said COA President Darron Collins. “The center will be a catalyst for deepening COA’s mission to add to the cultural, intellectual, and… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Bringing it all back home

It sure is a different summer in the Cranberry Isles. Some people have chosen not to come to the islands this summer, considering the risk factors of traveling long distances during a pandemic. I missed one summer on Islesford, when I was 20, and I still remember what it felt like.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Cruise ship departs Eastport

Hoping to avoid the June 1 arrival of hurricane season in southern Florida, the Oceania Riviera, a 785-foot, 15-deck Norwegian Cruise Lines vessel with no passengers, only crew onboard, sailed nearly 2,000 miles to tie up at Eastport’s deep-water breakwater on June 14. With computer models showing that Isaias—sometimes hurricane, sometimes tropical… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

It’s a wet and wild world for this old man

I’m having a little trouble with the younger crowd here on the island, particularly boys but some girls too. Some guys my age might be upset by such delinquent behavior, such aggression—and it is aggression; make no mistake about it. It’s as if they get a kick out of harassing… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Climate change threatens Wabanaki livelihood, culture

Climate change is having a serious impact on the Wabanaki Tribal Nations, threatening livelihoods, cultures, and self-determination. That was the message from Darren Ranco, a University of Maine professor who gave a July 10 webinar presentation called “Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and the Wabanaki Tribal Nations,” hosted by Augusta-based Maine… SEE MORE