The 5th Annual Eagle Island Workshop in book arts and journal keeping will be taught by Siri Beckman, printmaker and book artist from Stonington, and Susan Bonthron of Otter Pond Bindery in Guilford, VT. The workshop is from September 10 to 14 and takes place on Eagle Island in Penobscot Bay. Susan Bonthron is a
Runners trot around Great Cranberry for hours and hours
Why would otherwise normal-seeming human beings spend up to ten hours running 50 miles, in four-mile laps, on an island several miles out in the Atlantic Ocean? Because they can. At least that is the reason given by Gary Allen, the organizer of July’s Great Cranberry Island Ultramarathon. “We do these races for the same
Islesboro debates the Northeast Point subdivision
Leucadia National Corporation’s proposed subdivision on the former Pendleton Stevens property in late 2005 confronted the town of Islesboro with the reality that its ordinances left it vulnerable to dense development. Northeast Point LLC originally offered a preliminary application for a 21-lot subdivision but quickly withdrew it when it generated a strong protest from many
The Long View: A Disturbing View of New England’s Power (Elite)
As at least four Maine island communities are actively discussing the costs and benefits of siting “community wind” farms to supply electric power to Vinalhaven, North Haven, Swan’s and Frenchboro, it is useful to reflect what happened when a much larger project was proposed offshore of two island communities in Massachusetts. By now most people
Keeping the lights on Island co-ops pay more for electricity
Many island electrical consumers have experienced sharp increases in their rates for service. Most are wondering what the future winter heating season — and years to come — might look like in terms of rates. The story varies from community to community, as there are a number of different service providers. This month, Working Waterfront
“Green” housing slow to catch on in Maine
Tom Potter had a steady construction job in New Mexico, but he didn’t like the way homes were being built. “Nothing green, nothing efficient,” he said. “I said to myself, `There’s got to be a better way to build things.’ ” After moving to Maine, Potter began his own green home construction business in Rockport.
Pricey Electricity
Islands are fragile places, and not only because they have thin soils, small populations or one-resource economies. Consider electricity: as we note in a story this month, ratepayers on some islands have experienced sharp increases in electricity costs, and any island that generates its own power (Matinicus, Monhegan, Criehaven) is, like the lobster fishermen who
Buy Carefully, Buy Locally
It started with pet food — when animals began dying mysteriously in the U.S. months ago and the source of the problem was revealed as poison coming from the prepared, brand-name foods served by loving owners. The culprit was melamine, an illegal ingredient added to wheat flour by some Chinese factories to make the flour
No Excuse
To the editor: Here we are on lovely M.D.I., in the “working village” of Southwest Harbor. We go into the local supermarket to get some fresh-picked crabmeat for dinner and — WHAM — it hits us like a ton of bricks: sitting in the cooler, next to a couple other “fish products,” are CANS of
Not Relevant
To the editor: In the article. “Audubon study finds bird decline” [WWF Aug. 2007], Leslie Clapp, president of the Downeast chapter of the Maine Audubon Society, reported, based on observations by others, that “decks…would be full of 30 to 50 [evening grosbeaks]” and “They’ve always been so common and now they’re not around.” However, the