Working Waterfront

Teen climate activist wins White House recognition

For Sirohi Kumar, a senior at Mount Desert Island High School, seemingly overwhelming challenges become less daunting once identified. “Once you know that a problem exists, then you can start crafting solutions,” she says. Her words—and work—on climate and racial justice activism have gained attention at the national level. Kumar… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Chasing resilience

Resilience is one of those buzz words that seems to be everywhere these days. It is the new version of sustainable, but with even less of a clear definition, therefore making it infinitely harder to measure. A while back someone described it as not attaining resilience, but continually striving for… SEE MORE

The Cranberry Isles Life-Saving Station photographed in about 1885.

Working Waterfront

When mariners in distress got help

Whether it is for work or play, anyone spending significant time on a boat knows that help is a radio call away, and that other beacons and signals can be relied upon to alert to the need for help. But how would that work if there was no one designated… SEE MORE

Murphy in front of the First Parish Church in Portland during one of his walking tours. PHOTO: COURTESY DUGAN MURPHY

Working Waterfront

Reviving Portland’s unsung historical heroes

On the morning of Oct. 18, 1775, a British naval fleet anchored in Portland Harbor began bombarding what was then known as Falmouth, Mass. The bludgeoning of Portland lasted all day followed by more insult to injury when the British sailors swarmed the ruined community of about 2,000 residents to… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Beaches conference: Future, past collide

More than 400 years after the Plymouth colony was established, historians are still unraveling what the New England coast looked like, before and after. One fresh understanding of that history, which came from examining the colonial impact on New Hampshire’s Great Bay, shed light on the region’s ecosystems today. The… SEE MORE

A lobster wharf at Bernard with a view across to Bass Harbor. Photo by Willis Humphreys Ballard (1906–1980). PHOTO: COURTESY SOUTHWEST HARBOR PUBLIC LIBRARY.

Working Waterfront

MDI region’s history now gathered and shared

Historical societies, libraries, and museums of the Mount Desert Island region have long been assembling evidence of local history in records and artifacts. Through the History Trust, these organizations are now working together to digitize, preserve, and share the results. The idea for the History Trust began to take shape… SEE MORE

Members of the Passamaquoddy nation gather at a tribal ceremony. FILE PHOTO: LESLIE BOWMAN

Working Waterfront

Maine’s not-so-clean history on race

Early in his presentation, Todd Little-Sebold shows a photo of a Ku Klux Klan gathering in 1926 that drew about 30,000. Mississippi? Georgia? Nope. Portland, Maine. The photo often prompts the question, “You mean the Klan was active in progressive, hip Portland?” he said. “And the answer is yes.” A… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

How can I keep from singing?

A while ago, I joked to someone online that my pandemic memoir would be titled The Year Without Singing. Although nobody has asked me to write a pandemic memoir (yet!), it occurred to me in the moment that the directives prohibiting singing, or restricting it to 16 feet apart, outdoors,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Isle au Haut teacher brings experience, experiential learning

Editor’s note: This profile first appeared on the Upper Valley Educators Institute’s website and is published here with that organization’s permission. In the first few minutes of our Zoom call, Marcela Carroll had to get up to make sure her students were transitioning to their independent activity. Elementary teachers are… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine’s not-so-clean history on race

Early in his presentation, Todd Little-Sebold shows a photo of a Ku Klux Klan gathering in 1926 that drew about 30,000. Mississippi? Georgia? Nope. Portland, Maine. The photo often prompts the question, “You mean the Klan was active in progressive, hip Portland?” he said. “And the answer is yes.” A… SEE MORE