Working Waterfront

Islands look to neighbors for survival

Island communities survive when they work together. I experienced this alongside leaders on Long Island in Casco Bay and in dialogue with the former president of Kiribati. Spend time on Long Island and you will have the sense that anything is possible. In June, the Island Institute held its board… SEE MORE

Passengers disembark from the Islesboro ferry in Lincolnville Beach.

Working Waterfront

Ferry service is part of our civic infrastructure

Sometimes it’s important to begin by stating the obvious. Ferry service is not optional for island communities—they live or die by it. The allocation of resources across the islands served by the Maine State Ferry Service tends to divide, rather than unite communities. Islesboro is the clear loser in the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Learning from pioneers in problem solving

I’ve given presentations at many island and coastal community meetings over the past 15 years, and I believe all of them have been in Maine. But now, I was preparing to present to a group on Molokai Island in Hawaii. I was invited by the group Sustainable Molokai to join… SEE MORE

JB Turner of Belfast's Front Street Shipyard speaks at the Island Institute's Waypoints Forum in Portland on Jan. 19. At left is the Island Instiute's Briana Warner. At far right is Mark Ouellette of Axiom Technologies

Working Waterfront

From patriarchy and matriarchy to process

On Jan. 19, the Island Institute hosted its second annual Waypoints Forum in Portland. (Videos of the presentations can be seen here.) The theme this year was “Waterfront Futures.” During a panel we called “Big Ideas on the Waterfront,” we heard from business owners who have placed big bets on the future… SEE MORE

The woking waterfront on Islesford (Little Cranberry Island) is busy

Working Waterfront

Decorum in D.C., as seen from inside (and above) the room

I’ve learned a trick that helps me move through high-pressure situations. I wish I’d been able to use this trick when I was competing in piano recitals as a kid. Now, when I walk into a room in one of these situations, I imagine zooming out and standing above myself—actually,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

St. John hurricane disaster raises questions about our islands

I serve on the board of a small school on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is called the Gifft Hill School because of its location, perched atop Gifft Hill. It is a place filled with hope for the island’s future because it focuses on preparing island children… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Bridging the communities within a community

A good friend from the Middle East moved to the Maine coast, to a small island community. I asked him what that was like, how difficult it was to find elements in his new community that reminded him of his birthplace. With a large smile and open arms, he said… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Connecting our communities more critical than ever

This column first appeared in the 2017 Island Journal, which is now available for purchase at TheArchipelago.net. Maine touts its allure for visitors and prospective transplants by asserting that we provide qualities summed up as “the way life should be.” The phrase suggests purity, simplicity, a pace more in tune… SEE MORE

An especially high tide in Wells a few years back shows the Maine coast's vulnerability to rising sea levels.

Working Waterfront

Climate decisions reflect who we are as nation

Our government’s decisions project a story to the world about who we are as people. When we step off a plane in another country, we encounter these stories, as the people we meet repeat them back to us. We find that we are asked to personally represent and explain the United States,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Addiction tidal wave crashing over our coast

The Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront, is working to understand the opioid epidemic on the coast of Maine, and to learn more about the issue, we recently hosted a presentation by Dr. Ira Mandel, founder of the Knox County Recovery Coalition. One comment from a staffer summed up… SEE MORE