Working Waterfront

Islands set high bar for ‘adulting’ beginners

Reflections is a monthly column written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in remote coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront. Erin Love works on Long Island with the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership and other Casco Bay island… SEE MORE

A view of Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park from Great Cranberry Island.

Working Waterfront

Hosting a national park is a complicated affair

The battle lines were drawn decades ago, but there were fresh hostilities in the Millinocket area when Jonathan Jarvis, director National Park Service, visited in mid-May. Jarvis was invited by Sen. Angus King to hear public comments about a proposed North Woods National Park adjacent to Baxter State Park. A… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Rising seas will bring more frequent severe storms

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. Sea level rise could bring startling and disturbing coastal changes to our coast, making our homes and communities uninhabitable. A new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change projected that between 4.2 million and 13.1 million U.S. residents would… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The power of mitzvah revealed, again

My daughter Penrose and I were sitting at our kitchen island, covered in finger paint, when I heard scratching sounds coming from our front yard. I left her with her latest masterpiece, “Baby Owl,” and peeked out the front door to see our neighbor (well, he lives a few miles… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

My old kitchen stuff: practical, not vintage hip

The best place to get kitchen utensils is a flea market, collectibles shop or antique mall. Or your grandmother. In my case, it was my mom and grandma, at least for the basic collection. Every once in a while it does occur to me that I have a fine collection… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Letters to the Editor: History, Gulf Stream and wampum

‘A great little history’ To the editor: Thanks for writing the piece on Arthur Rothstein, (“History spills from frame of film,” April issue). I'm a great, great, granddaughter of Rabbi Israel Perlstein and Chania, and this is a treasure of little details I didn't know. (My great grandmother was Ida, the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Public spaces are good for the economy

Thriving public spaces contribute to the economic vitality of a community. Early New England communities often were built around a public common or public green. Initially, they might have served as grazing land for animals or a place for the exchange of goods. They often helped to organize and showcase… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

‘Things ain’t right’

On the surface, Jon Keller’s novel Of Sea and Cloud is a beautifully rendered story of a small Downeast fishing village losing its traditional way of life. Keller worked as a sternman aboard the South Wind, Oscar Look Jr.’s boat out of South Addison for two years. He learned well… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Dear, yet not-so-dear April

Have you fallen off on writing “thank you” notes? I know I have, and I’m not proud of it. I used to enjoy writing long letters to people before I became a mother. Then computers, the Internet, e-mail and Facebook also came along to lure me away from the handwritten word.… SEE MORE

Bathing suits of the modest variety dry in the sun on Peaks Island.

Working Waterfront

Just two strings attached

A few years ago I went to Florida on vacation. I’d never seen a woman in a thong before. Of course I’d seen pictures of them, but seeing them actually move around close enough to, well, study, is different. I’m glad I waited. At this stage, happily married and with… SEE MORE