In 2005, a group of Kennebec River enthusiasts decided to introduce Maine’s Conservation Commissioner Patrick McGowan and his assistant at the time, Karen Tilberg, to the section of the Kennebec between Waterville and Sidney. Neither McGowan nor Tilberg had ever seen that stretch, which runs through a fairly heavily settled urban area, but retains a
Inside the 50-fathom Curve
The Maine Lobstermen’s Association is urging the National Marine Fisheries Service to exempt lobster fishermen inside the 50-fathom curve along the Maine coast from gear modifications proposed to protect right whales. In comments supporting the MLS’s position, the Island Institute’s Rob Snyder noted that sinking lines don’t work in rocky bottom areas and areas with
Proposed centers would help former inmates adjust
When their jail terms are up, inmates at Ellsworth’s Hancock County Jail are released at 6:00 a.m. Getting out of jail usually isn’t carefree, said Judy Garvey, director of Volunteers for Hancock County Jail Residents. Most former jail residents still must deal with the addictions and mental conditions that helped land them in jail. Many
PEI agriculture runoff blamed for shellfish deaths
On the heels of a fish kill in two Prince Edward Island rivers, Lloyd and Donna Lewis discovered an 11-acre lease of oysters all dead at the end of July. They said a form of seaweed native to PEI, known as Enteromorpha, took out their lease within seven short days. “We put out all new
Cod quota gets almost no takers; province offers loans to lobster fishermen
It’s almost a “man bites dog” story. Almost. Usually, when the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans sets a quota for a given fishery, there are complaints from fishermen that the figure is too low. But when the DFO set the 2007 quota for cod in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence there were no
Wiscasset coal gas project heads for a town vote
Wiscasset residents are bracing for an Election Day showdown over the fate of a proposed coal-gasification power plant and diesel refinery. Depending on who you believe, Twin Rivers Energy Center will either solve the town’s fiscal worries, or destroy the very image “Maine’s Prettiest Village” has tried so hard to project. Despite fierce local opposition
Parallel 44: For LNG, Maine is the end of the line
First, a housekeeping note from my August piece on the Mitchell-Baldacci clan: while my family tree is correct, several attentive readers pointed out that I reversed the meanings of “second cousin” and “first cousin, once removed.” Sen. Mitchell and Gov. Baldacci are indeed the latter, just as Jim Mitchell and his brothers and first cousins
A generalization can get you into trouble
On Aug. 12 Vinalhaven made the news in an article in the New York Times titled, “When Conflict Washes Up On A Quiet Maine Island.” Conflict has surfaced here before, of course, as it does in any community. Maybe because of its small island setting, familiarity can breed both contempt and comfort. But to the
A child’s dream – and jewelry sales – help an island lighthouse
Oriana Waldren, a seven-year-old from Portland, is helping to save the lighthouse on Swan’s Island. When she arrived on the island with her family this summer, she set up a small stand at the end of her driveway with the help of her mother, artist Willa Vennema. At her stand, Oriana sold jewelry, note cards,
While Bar Harbor solves its mega ship problem, “mega berth” becomes embroiled in Portland’s waterfront debate
Last January, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines faced an unanticipated problem that required an inventive solution. The problem: The cruise line’s Voyager-class Explorer promised New England fall-foliage cruises, but while this mega ship was scheduled to drop anchor in Bar Harbor fully equipped with state-of-the-art amenities like oxygen therapy and kidney dialysis, it would not have