Working Waterfront

Casco Bay temperature data details warming

Mike Doan, research associate with the Friends of Casco Bay, is often asked, “What were the highest and the lowest water temperatures this year?” Thanks to the organization’s continuous monitoring station, Doan is able to share those with confidence. He can describe water conditions in the bay on an hourly,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

On land and sea, Swan’s Island entrepreneurs find their niche

By Jennifer Helman//Photos by Dale Joyce Living on an island requires resilience, patience, creativity, and an entrepreneurial spirit. But some islanders take that to a whole new level. Gary Rainford, owner of Coffee Love, explains the mindset perfectly: “When you live in a place like this and there is something… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Living in, and with, a lighthouse

The Lighthouse & Me: History, Memoir, & Imagination By Jeffrey Burke Review by Tina Cohen It isn’t always the case that storytelling in support of a larger purpose—fundraising for example—can stand on its own as a satisfying literary experience. But The Lighthouse & Me: History, Memoir, & Imagination pulls off… SEE MORE

Black crowberry on the Schoodic Peninsula.

Working Waterfront

Finding refuge from climate change on the Maine coast

By Catherine Schmitt On the rocky headlands of the Schoodic Peninsula, the narrow ledges between the edge of the spruce forest and tide-scraped granite are carpeted in black crowberry, an evergreen shrub with tiny purplish flowers and dark fruits. Crowberry grows in less than 1 percent of the state, but… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Cumberland, York county towns tangle with FEMA

By Jacqueline Weaver Rising sea levels and their impact on flood insurance rates are becoming a contentious and anxiety-provoking issue for Maine coastal towns. Flood maps drafted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reflecting the predicted higher seas have been disputed by coastal communities in York and Cumberland counties… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

UMaine studies suggest ‘cresting wave’ in lobster population

Two new studies published by University of Maine scientists are putting a long-standing survey of the American lobster’s earliest life stages to its most rigorous test yet as an early warning system for trends in New England’s iconic fishery. The studies point to the role of a warming ocean and… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

On land and sea, Swan’s Island entrepreneurs find their niche

By Jennifer Helman//Photos by Dale Joyce Living on an island requires resilience, patience, creativity, and an entrepreneurial spirit. But some islanders take that to a whole new level. Gary Rainford, owner of Coffee Love, explains the mindset perfectly: “When you live in a place like this and there is something you need… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Can our communities be marine-friendly?

By Craig Olson You’ve heard it many times, but it bears repeating: “Change is the only constant.” For Maine’s coastal economy, that statement couldn’t be more appropriate. For those who work on the water or rely on marine-based businesses, shifts in ocean use, diminishing fisheries, and access to steady supplies… SEE MORE

Ryan Murphy hands out cards explaining how to turn on the Libby Island fog horn.

Working Waterfront

Libby Island a little too quiet for comfort

By Tom Groening Even with the ubiquity of radar and GPS, navigating the waters off the Washington County coast can be treacherous. The bays and estuaries are often foggy, and the region sees the most dramatic tidal range on the Maine coast. So when the fog horn on Libby Island… SEE MORE

Sean Todd of Allied Whale and College of the Atlantic.

Working Waterfront

On the record with… Sean Todd of Allied Whale

By Laurie Schreiber The plight of the North Atlantic right whale has steadily made its way into Maine news. One of the world’s most endangered large whale species, the population of about 400 is shrinking due to increasing mortality and lower birth rates. Stakeholders, including Maine’s lobster industry, have implemented… SEE MORE