Following two full days of dialogue addressing current trends in the nation’s working waterfront, the socio-economic changes faced by communities as a result of these trends, and models currently being used to preserve points of public waterfront access, the symposium concluded with a half day designated for the development of a national agenda for action on the issue.
Senator Susan Collins and Representative Chellie Pingree, who have each sought to establish federal grant programs that would aid in the preservation of working waterfronts through the introduction of the Working Waterfront Preservation Act of 2007 (Collins) and the Keep America’s Waterfront Act of 2009 (Pingree), both offered remarks at the symposium. According to Rep. Pingree, “Our fishermen, boat yards, marinas and all those who depend on access to the water need a strong national voice to protect the waterfronts and the jobs they provide. The progress we made this year to protect working waterfronts wouldn’t have happened without a diverse group of stakeholders-from fishermen to organizations concerned with the health of the ocean to the boat building industry. We need a national coalition to continue this progress at the national, state and local levels.” Their call to action served as the basis for a live debate, featuring four of the country’s top collegiate debaters who weighed the pros and cons of emerging working waterfront issues. Fueled by this energy, attendees set to work outlining the strategies and goals for a national coalition.
The coalition model, which brings together industry, government and NGO representatives to collaboratively address the issue of water access, has been employed successfully in Maine to campaign for bond funding for efforts to preserve points of access and restore wharves and other marine facilities for public use. While many coastal communities have benefited from this program and the work of the state coalition, members recognize that, as bonding for projects becomes increasingly difficult to secure at the state level, procurement of matching federal funds mean more bang for the state’s buck and a better chance of preserving critical working waterfront and the heritage and vitality of working coastal communities.
In addition to recognizing a need for federal dollars to support local working waterfront preservation, there is a realization among states facing depleting public access that their struggles are common and that a unified response that draws on each the experience of local and state efforts to this point stands a better chance in efforts to shepherd through critical legislation and support new tactics aimed at addressing the issue. As Robert Snyder, executive vice-president of the Island Institute explains, “Maine continues to see its working waterfront access threatened by new development. Meanwhile, working waterfront communities around the nation are seeing their access to sea eroded. It is time for Maine’s leaders to build on our history of creating innovative approaches to securing access and lead a national coalition to support this work both here and around the country. There are times when, in order to do something for Maine, we must do something for the country. This is one of those times.”
Amanda LaBelle is the marine programs associate at the Island Institute.