The dam on the St. Croix River. PHOTO: JACK SULLIVAN

Working Waterfront

Indigenous, U.S., Canadian efforts restoring fish run

Ten years ago, the run of alewives in the Skutik (St. Croix) River hovered around 16,000. Though that’s more than the 900 fish from a decade earlier, it was not a great total for a river that once held millions of fish. It was, however, the beginning of what many… SEE MORE

Judi Sandrock of MaxIQ Space, left, with Terry Shehata, executive director of the Maine Space Grant Consortium during November's Maine Space Conference. MaxIQ creates Space STEM education materials used in K-12 classrooms. PHOTO: COURTESY MAINE SPACE 2030

Working Waterfront

Maine coast could host ‘space economy’

[caption id="attachment_39553" align="alignleft" width="300"] Michael Kincaid of NASA, left, and MSGC director Terry Shehata. PHOTO: COURTESY MAINE SPACE 2030[/caption] Maine’s rocky coastline isn’t only beautiful, it’s the driving force behind some of the state’s most historic, lucrative industries, like shipbuilding, fishing, and tourism. Maine’s south-facing coastline could also become the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The sad tale of a religious charlatan

He must have been charismatic. He must have been passionate. And he must have been persuasive. The open question is whether or not his faith was sincere. The late 19th century was an era now known by religious scholars as the Third Great Awakening, a period when Christians expected the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Navigating 2024

What challenges will 2024 bring to the Maine coast, and how will leaders respond? SEE MORE

Swan's Island summer scene. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

History in the flesh

Reflections is written by Island Institute 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. The steamboat went away during World War II. Randy was five. Now, at 87 years old, he has more… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Community connections often rely on internet

It’s not your grandmother simply knowing how to hop on Facebook to swap recipes, it’s her being able to create a health profile and schedule... SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A circuitous Mayflower connection

This is a remarkably coincidental and clearly destined love story resulting from the very diverse and circuitous travels of nine descendant generations of two Mayflower passengers, emerging, finally, 300 years later, in parallel. The Mayflower arrived in what is now Provincetown Harbor, Cape Cod on Nov. 11, 1620. On board… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Lobster lady’s story meets lobster kids

The Lobster Lady By Alexandra Hinrichs, illustrations by Jamie Hogan; Charlesbridge Publishing (2023) Island Readers & Writers, an organization connecting children and books in communities on Maine’s islands and Washington County, recently sent Alison Johnson, director of its school programs, with author Alexandra Hinrichs, to Vinalhaven to speak to its… SEE MORE

Victor Diaz is the new chaplain for Chebeague Island’s church.

Working Waterfront

Chebeague chooses new chaplain

“Victor is able to speak to all generations,” she says. “I feel like he stands in the middle and can speak to our traditional, older population as well as attract others who are younger, like millennials.” SEE MORE

Rhiannon Hampson, left, state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, joins Kim Hamilton, Island Institute president at an event announcing the nonprofit being awarded two key grants. PHOTO: JACK SULLIVAN

Working Waterfront

Island Institute awarded USDA funding

Island Institute, a Rockland-based community development organization focused on island and coastal communities, has been awarded two key grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The nonprofit landed a Rural Community Development Initiative grant of $201,000 to support the Island Institute Fellows program. Island Institute Fellows in Brooklin, Tremont, and… SEE MORE