Working Waterfront

On the record with—Cathy Ramsdell of Friends of Casco Bay

When Friends of Casco Bay formed in 1989, the water was some of the most polluted in the nation. Today, the bay is far cleaner and healthier, with strong protections in place thanks in large part to Cathy Ramsdell, the organization’s executive director since 2003. Ramsdell ushered Friends toward a strong financial… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Bluefin: Gladiator of the sea, delicacy on the plate

When a Western Atlantic bluefin tuna takes the hook, the effect isn’t subtle. “They’re like a freight train hitting on your rod-and-reel,” long-time Portland fisherman Pete Speeches said of the massive fish. “The reel streams off and the fight is on. It can be 10 minutes or 10 hours.” [caption… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The sounds of love are in the air

Once in a while my column ideas just don’t pan out. This is one of those months. I thought I would revisit the golf cart situation on Islesford. I started counting carts on a quick trip to the town dock. There were ten golf carts parked among the trucks and… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Local we know, sustainable we hope

Sunday afternoons, starting the last Sunday in May, a small farmer’s market sets up next to the Up-Island Church (formerly the Free Will Baptist Church, now a preservation society) while cars line Church Turn containing customers ready to pounce on seedlings, vegetables, eggs, honey, all kinds of island-grown fresh stuff.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Remote meetings mirror remote island life

I was working in my studio last week with the television on behind me when I heard one commentator say to another, “I think you win the background game today.” I didn’t turn around, but briefly imagined what might create a backdrop so interesting as to “win the day” among… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Artists and makers prepare for reboot

Maine’s beauty and diversity has long inspired a plethora of art and craft. Maine’s artists and makers are a varied bunch—whether crafting beer in Southern Maine, cutting earrings from recycled olive oil tins in the Midcoast, blending body care products from dulse, or painting abstractions of Downeast seascapes, they are… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Closing a rural school raises key questions

It is school budget time. For remote and rural towns, it is common for the sustainability of small schools to be in question: do the economic benefits of the school outweigh the cost to local property tax payers? On the surface, closures or consolidations often seem more cost effective. In… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Remembering that first kiss

Some people wait for the mail ritually, gathering at the post office after the mail van arrives. They are in no hurry and talk about the weather and about the folks that come and go as soon as the door closes and they’ve come and went. One day I walked… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Girls running club built connection, confidence

During the pandemic, I missed working with kids, so this spring, I registered as a volunteer coach for Girls on the Run (GOTR). An afterschool program for girls in grades 3-5, GOTR “inspires girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident.” Throughout the season, girls meet twice weekly, growing social-emotional skills… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Adventures with a colonoscopy

“Have you had a colonoscopy?” asked Owen, one of our health center’s physician assistants. I was in for a mild gastric complaint. I probably rolled my eyes. I explained how I was very skeptical of the need for such a procedure. Having heard that so many of my peers were… SEE MORE