Barnaby Porter, who has lived on the Damariscotta River for close to 40 years, tells the story of a day when he, his son and naturalists from the Chewonki Foundation tried to return an young osprey to the nest on a navigational marker that the bird had fallen from. “We pretty much knew it was
Small World
John Higgins was enjoying breakfast at the Cocomar Restaurant in the Dominican Republic last February when he noticed something from home. It was a buoy hanging on the wall, and on the buoy was written the word “Vinalhaven.” Higgins, a member of the Island Institute board of trustees, took photos of the buoy and sent
Opposition
In a marine ecosystem often referred to as “the Saudi Arabia of wind,” where generation of unlimited amounts of this clean renewable energy are believed possible, some would-be ratepayers seem to care much as much about what’s on their horizons as their utility bills. Such thinking is evident on Nantucket Sound, where Cape Wind Associates
German Battleship
To the editor: I always enjoy your paper. This time my hat is off to Bill Terra — builder of the 30-foot model of the German battleship Graf Spee (WWF April 2008). Too bad the Rockland boat show didn’t let him display it. Heck, I’d have paid money to see it! Frank FergusonBrookline, MA
Repo rumor swirls among lobstermen swamped in debt
Lacking hard data or the sight of fishing boats clogging up coastal bank parking lots, it’s difficult to confirm persistent and growing rumors that repossessions are soaring and as many as 100 lobstermen could lose their boats through loan defaults this year. The number of commercial fishing vessel repossessions in Maine — and nationwide —
A Lifeboat for Fishermen
When congress revised bankruptcy laws a few years ago, they included one major provision that didn’t get media attention: fishermen gained access to Chapter 12. Available to farmers for decades, Chapter 12 allows filers to restructure debt at current value, coordinate loan expenses with income, and stops a fishing boat repossession. “It’s remarkably unused” by
Faced with challenges, lobstermen call for U.S.-Canadian combined effort
At the end of the fifth annual Canadian/U.S. Lobstermen’s Town Meeting, harvesters from both countries took an unprecedented step, voting to try a combined promotional effort for lobster. Generic promotion of lobster is a distinct departure from the trend to “brand” products from a specific place such as Maine or Alaska to cash in on
An artist invites her viewers to remember and rejoice
The verve of nature — no small thing — is alive in the paintings of Vinalhaven artist Elaine Crossman. Her landscapes reveal and also revel in the glory of the natural world. In another era, the majestic stained glass windows of Louis Comfort Tiffany that would have been similarly evocative. There’s a luminous glow to
Matinicus post office “totaled” by fire
UPDATE May 2, 2008 – A fire that destroyed the Matinicus island post office on Monday re-ignited early Tuesday, and local firefighters spent more than three hours extinguishing the second blaze. Rain failed to stop several “hot spots” from re-starting a fire at the waterfront site of the 19th century building, originally a chandlery and later
Things Look Different There
Our toddler finally made us go west. Record snowfall and a two-year old who didn’t like to wear clothes gave us cabin fever this past winter, so we accepted an invitation from my sister-in-law in Portland, Oregon for a month-long visit. I irrationally resisted visiting for years. I blamed my reluctance on a leftover prejudice