PORTLAND — Beach goers would urinate in the limited privacy provided by the seawall. A few times, they tore pieces of the wooden stairs that led from the beach to the yard to feed a bonfire. And sometimes, they would climb the wall to the yard, use the home’s outdoor shower and peer into the
Lobster union considers suing feds on whale rules
The Maine Lobstering Union has filed a notice of its intent to sue the National Marine Fisheries Service, seeking to roll back rules that require fishermen here to use sinking rope and to run up to 15 traps on just two vertical lines in some offshore waters. But the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) argues such
New lab would expand pest, disease monitoring
ORONO — The concept of biosecurity has moved to the mainstream, as threats from pests and disease spread through international travel are seen and more clearly understood. At the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Service’s Insect and Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab, scientists tasked with diagnosing and monitoring diseases and pests that can affect plant, animal
Islesboro rejects deer sharpshooter plan
ISLESBORO — Residents voted down a proposal to hire sharpshooters to reduce the deer population at a special town meeting on Oct. 2 by a 148-87 margin. The group Concerned Citizens of Islesboro (CCI) petitioned the town to hold the meeting after the number of Lyme disease cases on the island skyrocketed from 11 to
Big plans for Blue Hill peninsula’s scenic gem
SEDGWICK — So, you’re toodling along the road through Blue Hill and into Sedgwick, along narrowing, uppy-downy byways that will eventually drop you in the Atlantic Ocean. Suddenly, one of the uppies tops out to a gorgeous vista overlooking a sweeping blueberry barren, a glimpse of Walker’s Pond, Penobscot Bay dotted with islands, and Camden
Island Postcards: Tom Powell
Islesford and Great Cranberry Island pastor Tom Powell is the subject of our second Island Postcard.
LifeFlight of Maine raises over $110,000 in Lincolnville to Islesboro swim
Fifty-six swimmers and their 60 escort paddlers crossed upper Penobscot Bay from Lincolnville to Islesboro, along with volunteers serving on planning, organizing and assisting groups and several corporate donors raised more than $110,000, four times what was raised last year in the inaugural event, LifeFlight of Maine reported. “It really was a perfect illustration of
Downeast high school students survey green crabs
Forty-one students from six coastal and island high schools (Deer Isle-Stonington, George Stevens Academy, Vinalhaven, North Haven, Narraguagus and Mount Desert Island) gathered on Hurricane Island in Penobscot Bay Sept. 28-29 to kick-off the second year of the Eastern Maine Skippers Program (EMSP). The program is a collaborative, year-long project addressing the question, “How can
Aquaculture grows to include shellfish, seaweed
Growing shellfish and seaweed along the coast of Maine is becoming more popular. Dana Morse, a marine extension associate for Maine Sea Grant who focuses on shellfish aquaculture, believes the public has had a change of heart on what was a controversial activity. “The overall understanding and acceptance generally of aquaculture and farm-raised seafood has
In a tiny village, massive granite sculptures take form
PROSPECT HARBOR — Arrayed in a circle in a field in a quiet peninsular town, surrounded by woods, farmhouses and small businesses, seven sculptors from around the world are making a heck of a racket. The whining, grinding noise of circular-bladed saws against granite blocks fills the air, punctuated by the pounding of mallets on