The town parking lot after a storm surge in 2015 storm.

Working Waterfront

Damariscotta improves waterfront in face of rising seas

Damariscotta is moving forward with projects aimed at improving its waterfront. The work comes despite the Jan. 4 “king tide,” the highest tide of the year, and the associated storm surge which flooded a municipal parking lot and the lower levels of two downtown businesses. Improvements include a new facility… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Andrew Wyeth’s Rockland: Boats, planes and trains

When Edward Hopper (1882-1967) visited Rockland in 1926, he referred to it as “a very fine old place with lots of good-looking houses but not much shipping.” His watercolors from that stay represent a sampling from his repertoire, including a sea captain’s residence, a haunted house, and some waterfront studies of… SEE MORE

A kayaker explores one of the islands on the trail.

Working Waterfront

Shared mooring: Maine Island Trail, Island Institute born of same values

By Doug Welch The Maine Island Trail Association marks its 30th anniversary this month, and I believe it is important to look back at our roots and the organization that once spawned and still inspires us—the Island Institute. This story begins a “generation” before the Island Institute in the 1970s and… SEE MORE

A crew member cleans balconies on a cruise ship docked at Portland’s Ocean Gateway in 2014.

Working Waterfront

CruiseMaine evaluating potential, impact

The cruise ship industry’s growing interest in visiting Maine’s harbor towns is being hailed as opportunity by some, and branded as threat by others. While communities like Bar Harbor and Rockland are debating the relative merits of this part of the tourism economy, there’s no denying its size and impact.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A drowning island-nation portends wider climate change disasters

In 2015, Sermary Tiare moved her family from Kirabati to New Zealand to escape the rising seas that were devastating her village. The mother of seven and small-business owner lived on the remote atoll of Abemama. She became one of 75 climate-change refugees at the time awarded New Zealand citizenship… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Penobscot Marine Museum hosts remote control lobster boat, America’s Cup sailboat model races

On Saturday, July 7, from 11 am to 2 pm, the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport will host a model boat race featuring lobster boats and America’s Cup yachts. The event will take place at the Searsport Town Dock. For more information call 548-2529. About Penobscot Marine Museum What inspires model makers to… SEE MORE

A view from the town landing—and not the former ferry terminal—of a cruise ship off Bar Harbor.

Working Waterfront

Ferry terminal purchase overwhelmingly approved

By a 1,380-213 margin, Bar Harbor residents voted June 12 to purchase the former ferry terminal on Eden Street from the Maine Department of Transportation for $3.5 million. The next step is for the town to decide what to do with it. The town council’s Ferry Terminal Property Advisory Committee… SEE MORE

Fuel tanks sit close to the water during a high-tide event in Lincolnville Beach.

Working Waterfront

Mounting weather disaster costs make case for preparation

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. There were 16 separate weather and climate disaster events topping $1 billion in recovery costs in the U.S. in 2017, with a cumulative cost exceeding $300 billion. It clear that it’s cheaper to prepare and minimize the clean-up rather than… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Estuary Beat: Thinking about upgrading river, stream standards

Frenchman Bay Partners talk rockweed, red tide, clam flat cleanup Frenchman Bay Partners held its annual meeting on May 5 in Winter Harbor and covered several topics related to the intertidal zone. Since 2016, Hannah Webber of the Schoodic Institute has led a working group to evaluate the status and… SEE MORE

Some of the bones still show evidence of flesh.

Working Waterfront

North Haven students, teacher rebuild minke whale skeleton

In August 2016, something unexpected washed up on a private beach in Wooster Cove on North Haven island—a whale carcass. PHOTO: JOE STONE The whale’s bones are dug out of a sand pile, where they’d been left to decay. Just what caused the minke whale, a young adult female, to… SEE MORE