Volunteers pick up trash on a Midcoast island this summer.

Working Waterfront

Microplastics are everywhere you are, and that’s not good

By Abby Barrows Plastic—we all touch, use, and throw it out every day. It is an amazing, lightweight, and durable material. That quality of durability, however, has made plastic into a worldwide pollution problem. We use items designed to last a few minutes, made from a material that lasts thousands… SEE MORE

An audience of about 120 listens to Beth Orcutt at Bigelow Laboratories for Ocean Science in East Boothbay.

Working Waterfront

Tech’s wave may rely on deep sea

Thousands of feet below the ocean’s surface, in the deep sea near hydrothermal vents, are increasingly coveted resources. As an international body met in mid-July to discuss how to manage these resources, members of the public met in East Boothbay to hear from a deep sea scientific researcher about what… SEE MORE

An aerial view of the summit of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park shows cars circling

Working Waterfront

From Bar Harbor to Portland, parking an ongoing challenge

By Tom Walsh The traffic tsunami inherent in Acadia National Park, which hosted a record 3.5 million visitors in 2017, has the town of Bar Harbor and the National Park Service coping with the conundrum of how best to accommodate seasonal parking for cars, trucks, tour buses, tourist trollies, recreational… SEE MORE

A sailboat off Fort Gorges in Casco Bay.

Working Waterfront

Estuary Beat: Tours of saltwater farms, a pesticide-free bay, and stripers

Tours of estuarine farms, studios, and gardens Estuaries have always been good places to live and have a farm, with rich meadow grass for cattle, floodplain soils, and access to water. On July 22, three bicycle tours of coastal farms and art studios will offer riders of all ages a… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Gardening as a way of putting down community roots

Eight years ago, as a symbol of our intention to stay on North Haven indefinitely, I bought apple trees and asparagus crowns for Bill as a Chanukah present. I gave him a drawing of the plants then, and in April, a package arrived from Fedco. Two tiny whips with root-balls… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Put a price on what’s poisoning our atmosphere

By Eric Toder Rising carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels and other activities that release greenhouse gases threaten the future well-being of all of us. These emissions warm the planet, raise sea levels, shift rainfall patterns, boost storm intensity, and increase the risk of sudden climate change. They pose a… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Voters approve Bristol Falls Dam preservation, fish ladder

By Tom Walsh The “Dam Strong” bumper stickers that have recently surfaced throughout the Lincoln County community of Bristol have now given way to a new message: “Dam Right.” A special referendum on July 24 saw nearly 90 percent of Bristol residents who cast paper ballots approve repairs to the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Coastal Cleanup begins Sept. 15

Registration is now open for Maine’s Coastweek Coastal Cleanup which begins Saturday, Sept. 15 and runs through Saturday, Sept. 22. One of Maine’s largest volunteer events, the Coastal Cleanup provides an opportunity for people of all ages to keep Maine’s coastal shoreline and associated waterways clean. Each year over a thousand participants clean… SEE MORE

Diane Blanchette takes the first charge from Ellsworth’s new electric vehicle charger

Working Waterfront

Electric vehicle charging stations added to key corridors

On June 26, Ellsworth City Council Chairman Marc Blanchette backed up his plug-in hybrid electric car to the city’s first publically available Level 2 electric vehicle charging station, located under a shady copse at Merrill Park on Water Street. Blanchette’s wife, Diane, had the honor of taking the first plug-in… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Bristol voters consider dam replacement, repair

By Tom Walsh A patchwork quilt of intertwined issues—social, political, environmental, economic, and public safety—surround the July 24 written ballot referendum that will decide what’s to become of the Bristol Falls Dam, an iconic landmark within the Lincoln County community of Bristol since 1917. Debate has been simmering since 2001… SEE MORE