Working Waterfront

Animal welfare a victim in research

The article “MDI lab gaining ground in tissue regeneration” in the August issue of The Working Waterfront raises concerns about this type of research. It has been going on for years with untold numbers of mice and giant axolotl salamanders, measuring up to a foot in length, having their limbs… SEE MORE

Opinion

Working Waterfront

We’re stronger when we show up for each other

“Are we doing hugs?” she asked as she approached me with her eyes sparkling. It had been nearly four years since we had seen each other in person and now, here we were, on Rockland’s Main Street, trying to figure out how to greet each other in the new normal.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The magic of dishwashing…

When my summer helper, Brynn, tackles the pile of dirty dishes that a household of four or five people can generate, I don’t think of it as particularly magical. But Brynn says, “There is magic in the mundane,” and there’s probably nothing quite as mundane as dishwashing. For Brynn, plunging… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The richness of found fruit

When I was young, I had the privilege of growing up on 13 acres of secondary-growth forest in central Maine, between Farmington and Augusta. Our land had a stream and frog pond, a field full of wild strawberries, a thicket of blackberries, an apple tree whose fruit was always harder… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

My own hand-made oatcake invention

In early July I was shopping on the mainland at a local health food store when a friend handed me a square orange and yellow cardboard box labeled Effie’s Handmade Oatcakes. “Have you ever had these? They’re really good!” Nope, but I bought a box, stashed it in my cupboard… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Understanding seasons with island perspective

Reflections is written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront. In the dead of winter, Chebeague Island becomes very quiet. Restaurants and organizations reduce their hours or close entirely, and… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Home improvement, youth improvement

I’m a big fan of home improvement TV shows and especially of what is the first of its kind, the PBS program This Old House. I never miss an episode, and even watch the previous projects when they are re-run. I particularly like the spin-off show, Ask This Old House,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A roadway reminiscence

A few weeks ago, my wife and I happened to be driving on the Maine Turnpike between Lewiston and Augusta. It had been a long time since we’d traveled that stretch of highway, because living in Belfast, the logical route south is Route 3 to Augusta to I-95, then I-295… SEE MORE

Artist's rendering of land-based portion of salmon farm proposed for Frenchman Bay.

Working Waterfront

Is Maine hosting the best aquaculture technology?

Maine’s coast is witnessing multiple plans for large aquaculture projects, including two new sites planned for Frenchman Bay, in addition to those in Belfast, Bucksport, and Jonesport. For some, the possibility of jobs and tax revenue from industrial-sized aquaculture is appealing. The success of these plans, however, is dependent upon… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

An island field of dreams

This summer, my ten-year-old grandson and ten other kids about his own age, encouraged by a large group of conspiratorial island adults, poured a pitcher of ice water over the head of an older island man who certainly had it coming. In 1998, after too many years during which Vinalhaven… SEE MORE