Working Waterfront

In praise of tree-lined streets

There is no shortage of appropriate responses to climate change and global pollution—walking instead of driving, insulating your house, trading your leaf blower in for a rake. You can doubtless think of many more yourself. But planting a shade tree along your street, preferably in your own front yard or,… SEE MORE

A view up Washington Street in Eastport. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Ready for, not reacting to change

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. Over the last couple of weeks I have been asked to define resiliency. Eastport is in the process of joining… SEE MORE

From left: Scott Firmin, Dan Devereaux, Ivy Frignoca, Will Everitt, and Fred Dillon. PHOTO: COURTESY FRIENDS OF CASCO BAY

Working Waterfront

Casco Bay group honors clean water heroes

Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca announced the three recipients of the 2022 Casco Bay Awards at Friends of Casco Bay’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act and members annual meeting earlier this summer. Award recipients were recognized for their exceptional efforts to address pollution and climate change… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Six ‘Brookie’ winners named

Six young changemakers from across Maine were honored with the latest round of Brookie Awards by the Natural Resources Council of Maine for their leadership and effectiveness tackling a wide range of environmental issues. The diverse group includes college and high school student activists and scientists, ranging in age from… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Closing the tap on the plastics problem

Oh, no! You got distracted and left the water running in the bathtub. You run into the bathroom, see it overflowing onto the floor, and you turn and run for a mop. A mop? No, you don’t run for a mop, says Jackie Savitz, chief policy officer for Oceana. You… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Lobstermen see ‘dark cloud’ hovering over industry

Lobster fishermen continue to grapple with what they say are the cascading consequences of new rules designed to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale which affect how and where they fish. “It’s this dark cloud looming over us. One court decision could shut the entire lobster fishery down,” said… SEE MORE

#1: Pam Cabañas, Pushed Off, 2022, compressed charcoal on Baltic birch panel, 36 by 48 inches. Photo Eli Cabañas #2: Cabañas in her skiff, the P/V (painting vessel) Skiffy with her dog Jesse in Friendship Harbor. Photo Jane Herbert

Working Waterfront

Finding ‘Monument Valley’ in Friendship Harbor

Pam Cabañas has been living in Friendship for going on 20 years. She keeps a skiff in the harbor and her son Eli is a sternman on the F/V Miss Kristen. A longtime member of the town’s board of assessors, which she currently chairs, Cabañas is, in her words, “pretty… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The Maine coast goes electric

Sandy Oliver should be getting paid the big bucks by Tesla’s marketing team. Describing how she snuggles up to her smartphone to gaze lovingly at the app for her Powerwall—Tesla’s in-home backup battery system—Sandy builds a visceral connection for the otherwise esoteric and dull topic of energy resilience. “When the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Getting the garden ‘out of the woods’

Most fruit trees overestimate how much fruit they can ripen. I thin my peaches in early summer, the Red Haven first which ripens a little sooner than the Reliance, whose fruit is already the diameter of a quarter. The tree will naturally throw off some of its fruit sets; I… SEE MORE

A view of Eagle Lake in Acadia National Park. PHOTO: COURTESY FRIENDS OF ACADIA

Working Waterfront

National park tourism in Maine injects $770 million

A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that visitors to national parks in Maine spent $490 million in 2021. The total of 4.1 million visits supported 7,070 jobs and had a cumulative economic output of $770 million. “National parks are a vital part of our nation’s economy,” said Deputy… SEE MORE