The steam ferry Union on the Bath waterfront, circa 1890. PHOTO: COURTESY MAINE MARITIME MUSEUM

Working Waterfront

Before bridges: River crossings relied on ferries

Once a primary mode of transportation for many Mainers, ferries are more often a fun excursion than a necessity, at least for those who live and work on the mainland. Yet for over a century, such vessels transformed life along Maine coastal and inland waters, enabling commerce, travel, and recreation… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The island approach to medicine

In 1954, crying and clinging to my Dad’s hand with my good arm, I was brought to Dr. Ralph Earle’s office. He walked quickly toward me but then turned and whispered to Dot, his receptionist. She got up, grabbed her hat and left. Then he walked me, still sobbing and… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

For Maine, here comes the sun

Maine’s climate goals are to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050. The residential sector accounts for the second-highest source of emissions in Maine (after transportation), making up almost 20 percent of the state’s carbon pollution. Solar power is one of many options… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Readers write: Charged up, jumpy, and Ted

Capacity is a concern To the editor: My wife and I have been members of The Island Institute for more than just a couple of years and regularly read articles in The Working Waterfront. I read Sara Miller‘s op-ed piece in the August issue, “Leaving gas vehicles in the rear… SEE MORE

The steamship “Victorian” is in front of the Taku Glacier in 1900.

Working Waterfront

Why thawing permafrost matters to Maine

As I sit watching the moon rise above the Alaskan skyline and mighty Taku Glacier, I can’t help but wonder how many years into the future this great ice mass will remain. Recent research suggests up to 60 percent of Taku will be gone in the next century if our climate… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

In praise of the amazing bean

Each year, drying beans ripen in the garden to provide a winter’s worth of baked beans, bean soup, or even refried beans. Traditional Maine varieties like Marfax, Tiger’s Eye, and Jacobs Cattle join Back Coco, Pintos, and Silver Cloud Cannellini. Once dried enough in the barn that the pods snap… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Challenges with a purpose is island life

A newcomer to the island, upon hearing about some of the inconveniences and stressors of island life, asked me, in all seriousness, “So why do you stay?” There are times when I ask myself the same question. Like on a dark, rolling December ferry ride, shivering in my car (because… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The other side of Land for Maine’s Future

This summer, $40 million was added to the state budget for the Land for Maine’s Future program, normally funded by a bond submitted to voters. No reason was given by the legislature for this change, but recent history may have been a guide. In 2019, a similar LMF bond was… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Much to gain by embracing the unknown

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 life, there are moments in which we are called to make a choice, where we are granted an opportunity… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

‘Citizen’ Hearst and the state of the news

Take a journey with me, back to the year 1247. We’re in a walled city in what today is Belgium, and like many towns, it employs a town crier. Let’s call him Tom. Tom the Town Crier patrols the streets each night, calling out time and status at hourly intervals:… SEE MORE