Working Waterfront

A summer of learning, leadership along Maine coast

On Swan's Island, community leaders and nearly 200 residents debated the future of the Swan's Island Electric Cooperative, the ratepayer owned distributor of electricity on that island and nearby Frenchboro (Long Island). There is nothing so heartening as watching community members of diverse background and economic standing give stump… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Kelp as the new kale, and a possible carbon fix

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. “Blue carbon” is a term you might be hearing more often. It refers to marine vegetation that has an inherent ability to sequester carbon and mitigate the consequences of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Vegetated coastal habitats including seagrass meadows, mangrove… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

God bless the weeds

Islanders are lucky because they have a weed habitat—saltwater shoreline—that inlanders don’t, but no matter, we all have plentiful weedy places on which to graze. Like mainly our gardens. Well, maybe you don’t have a weedy garden but, Lord help me, I do. As luck would have it, the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Don’t trust potential losers in climate change war

Climate change and the infamous "Deflate-gate," the scandal involving NFL quarterback Tom Brady, may seem to have little in common. But bear with us, here, as we make the case. It's not something so cutesy as air pressure that the two issues share. No, it's about winning and losing. For… SEE MORE

The USNS Washington Chambers photographed from a helicopter.

Working Waterfront

Flying over the Great Barrier Reef

The morning dawned warm and clear. The waters around the USNS Washington Chambers were treacherous, even in this good weather. The shoals around Australia and the many reefs make the sea a dangerous place to travel. Between Australia and Papua New Guinea, there is a stretch of ocean only a mile… SEE MORE

Chebeague Island's Stone Pier is at risk of damage from sea level rise.

Working Waterfront

Grants address sea level rise, water pollution along coast

The Maine Coastal Program, part of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, announced on Aug. 4 that it has awarded nearly $250,000 to 11 municipal and county projects. The funds will provide support for the coastal economy through projects that increase public access to the coast, support shellfish harvesting, identify pollution sources that result in… SEE MORE

The waterfront on Islesford (Little Cranberry Island).

Working Waterfront

Nine coastal communities win planning grants

The state's Maine Coastal Program has awarded nine communities a total of $163,206 in grants covering planning, design and engineering work for a host of improvement projects, some conceptual, some ready to be built. The work the funds support ranges from a longer pier on Islesford to a better managed… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Kathleen Reardon promoted to lead DMR lobster biologist

Kathleen Reardon, who has coordinated the Maine Department of Marine Resources’ lobster monitoring programs for the past ten years, has been promoted to the position of lead lobster biologist. Reardon succeeds Carl Wilson who previously held the job until he was promoted to director of the DMR science bureau in February.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Can oysters save New York Harbor?

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. New York, New York is a lot of things to a lot of people. But it isn't a great place to harvest oysters. Eat them, yes. Harvest them, no. Turns out this is a recent phenomenon. In the 1890s, New… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Oil, water and poorly considered science mix in Destiny

Reviewed by Tina Cohen The cover of Carl Howe Hansen's first novel presents some powerful allusions. The photograph by Peter Ralston features what we can assume is the book’s Pine Island, a typical Maine island of granite and spruce with raw exposure to the elements, a resistance to being tamed.… SEE MORE