Working Waterfront

Shetterly’s Seaweed Chronicles explores history of plunder

Review by Carl Little One April day some 25 years ago, fine mesh fyke nets suddenly appeared in the estuary that leads to the Somesville Mill Pond. The market for elvers—glass eels favored by Japanese diners—had exploded, with astronomical per-pound prices driving the new fishery. As they had with urchins,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Displaced people finding a home in Middle East crossroads

ROB SNYDER Sand and sky as seen in the Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan. By Rob Snyder I recently spent a week with a Jordanian friend touring his country. I learned that Jordanians have lived at the center of waves of people and commerce, of politics and art, religions, deserts… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

And they might make good Christmas presents, too

By Sandy Oliver Whole stores are dedicated to helping cooks do their job. Right after bookstores, and just before yarn shops, kitchen stores are my favorite places to browse, though goodness knows there is not much time for that these days, what with taking fewer mainland trips and many more… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Trip to Southwest inspires visions of natives

By Phil Crossman Our most recent road trip took us out to Utah and Colorado. It was so stunning that when it was time to return, we left the Eurovan in Denver and flew home so we can fly back and explore further without having to drive across the country… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Whale skeleton work brings school, community together

By Courtney Naliboff It could have been a ghoulish scene: hole saws cut into vertebrae, hammers whacking chisels, loosening chunks of marrow. Small children swept bone and sawdust from the floor. Rather than a scene from a horror movie, this was a community work day on North Haven’s minke whale… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Missing islander ripples worry, hope through community

By Barbara Fernald In October, many of us in the Cranberry Isles were badly shaken by the untimely death of Courtney Chaplin, an Islesford community member. When he didn’t show up at home, after a day of work on the island, his wife Kate made some phone calls and a… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Picking up the migratory cues

By Allison Carmen Before moving to the Northeast, I spent part of my undergrad training as a National Association of Underwater Instructors research diver. When we weren’t on assignment counting nurse sharks or sea bass deep in the Catalina kelp forests, my scuba friends and I could be found finning… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Remembering Kristin Rohrbach-Westra

Editor’s note: Kristin Rohrbach-Westra, who had taught at the Chebeague Island School, died Oct. 1. Police reported it was a suicide. The following remembrance was written by Ruth Kermish-Allen, executive director of the Maine Math and Science Alliance and a former education director at the Island Institute, publisher of The Working… SEE MORE

A vehicle charging station in Prospect Harbor.

Working Waterfront

Clean energy reforms will build a stronger Maine

By Kathleen Meil As the newly elected governor, Janet Mills faces the need to revitalize the Maine’s economy, competitiveness, and overall quality of life while safeguarding its iconic natural resources. This ambitious agenda is achievable through proven reforms that unleash innovation by centering the renewal of transportation and energy systems in… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Thoughts about leaving… way before it’s time

Reflections is 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. ByStevie Kowalczyk My first draft of this piece was terrible. I wrote a nondescript, short essay about projects I was working… SEE MORE