By the middle of October, most of the summer residents have made their last visit to Little Cranberry Island, returning to their active lives in bigger towns and cities. They are not the only ones moving on. Groups of flickers provide flashes of white, red, taupe and black as they travel south, stopping on the
Opinion: Maine’s Gold Coast and workforce housing
The need for workforce housing in Maine’s island and remote coastal communities has never been greater. This statement may seem startling, given the news that the housing market has stalled and prices are dropping. How in this market can we still have a need for workforce housing? Housing in Maine’s island and remote coastal communities
How long will these stone towers last?
Eldon Mayer certainly got a lot in his article “Monumental truths” in the October issue of Working Waterfront. The Little Mark Island Monument in Casco Bay was built in 1827 and was of many built along the seacoast shortly after Maine achieved statehood. As far as I know, there was no previous marker there. In
Venturing: The skipper’s log
A lifelong interest in boats and going places on board them has brought me into contact with lots of writing on the subject. Invariably, the authors of these accounts (most are about voyages in small vessels to faraway places) reflect at some point on their relationship with the larger world, or at least how their
Hurricane of Independence: The Untold Story of the Deadly Storm at the Deciding Moment of the American Revolution
Sourcebooks, Inc. 2008 299 pages, $22.95 The forgotten hurricane As another hurricane season draws to a close, Tony Williams has provided us with a look at one of the deadliest storms ever to hit the North American coast. Because it took place in 1775 at the beginning of the American Revolution, he calls it The
Matinicus lobstermen seek island lobster zone
Matinicus lobstermen say they want to protect their local fishing rights with a restricted zone, but a legislative proposal to put that concept into law has run aground. The Legislative Council on October 15 rejected a bill submitted by Rep. Chuck Kruger, a Thomaston Democrat whose district includes Matinicus. The council met to decide which
After leasing, Freeport entrepreneur looks to buy Chebeague Island Inn
The Chebeague Island Inn is for sale, and a Freeport entrepreneur who has been leasing it hopes to buy it, if he can find another investor. Andy LeMaistre, who has leased the inn for the past two years, confirmed he’s in active negotiations with the inn’s owner, Martha Dumont, to buy the inn. Dumont declined
Parallel 44: Tidal power takes two steps forward
When it comes to renewable energy production in this part of the world, wind has been stealing the show. The governor of Maine and the premiers of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island are big boosters and wind farms have been erected from Mars Hill to PEI’s eastern cape using off-the-shelf technology. PEI plans to
Fishermen concerned about new right whale petition
On September 16, five groups filed a petition to expand critical habitat for the North Atlantic right whale to include the American waters of the entire Gulf of Maine. This set off a chain of events that could cause even more problems for ground and lobster fishermen. The petition, filed with the National Marine Fisheries
The Long View: Flipping the switch
One day we will look back on November 2009 and mark it as a turning point in the history of the Maine coast. The turning point will come when officials at Fox Islands Wind “flip the switch” that turns (and re-turns) the power of the winds off the Gulf of Maine into a productive local