Sarah Curran, the Island Fellow on Peaks Island, has studied in India, lived on the island of Maui, and spent time during many summers as a teenager working on the Cheyenne River Reservation in Bridger, South Dakota. Curran received her undergraduate degree in anthropology from Skidmore College, and last year earned a Master’s degree in
Island Fellows, forest service to evaluate fire risk
As part of a national program to evaluate the risk of wildfire and develop strategies to mitigate these risks in the “wildland-urban interface,” defined as “where the homes meet the woods,” the Maine State Forest Service Forest Protection Division and Island Institute Fellows are partnering on a two-year project to assess year-round islands. We often
Cranberry Report: Dipper’s Bane, Gardener’s Boon
The last half of October was much windier than the first half. Both Islesford and Great Cranberry experienced power outages in two different storms. It helps to have a generator during these outages, but when electric and telephone poles came down across the bridge between Trenton and Mount Desert Island, even a generator could not
Journal of and Island Kitchen: Cooking by Strategy
A couple years ago, all hell broke loose on these pages when the flour went missing from the gingerbread recipe we printed here. Trusting souls went bravely ahead flourless, bucking all their instincts and ending up rightfully dismayed when all they had to show for their time, ingredients, and effort was a pan of sticky
Islands Coalition discusses taxes, other issues
To learn about some of the tools that exist to address island housing and taxation issues, and to discuss possible legislative efforts for the next session, the Maine Islands Coalition met in Rockland in early November. Judy Mathiau, Assessor with the Town of Rockport; Dennis Doiron, Director of the Income Tax Division at Maine Revenue
Two Children’s Classics Worth Revisiting
Are there children on your shopping list for presents during this December’s holiday season? Two classic books, both set in Penobscot Bay and written by summer residents who happened to be prolific and successful authors, are newly pertinent and deserving of your consideration. Both books were written during times of international strife and dissonance. They
Trap Door
Eastport’s amateur sleuth returns One of the difficulties of reviewing a murder mystery is that you’re tempted to quote or refer to some of the really good stuff. If you do, of course, there’s a good chance you’re going to give away good chunks of the plot. That said, I’m warning readers of Trap Door,
Lobsters in Retirement
Amherst, Massachusetts is a fair way from the sea, but this fall a group of enthusiastic retirees is participating in a seminar on lobsters and lobstering in the State of Maine, led by my husband, Jim, and me. We live in Amherst but summer in Friendship, a serious lobstering harbor, and have for years been
Friendship Cottage, Blue Hill Coastal region gets an adult day care facility to meet a growing need
A year and a half ago, Gerald Bryan, of Brooksville, began having trouble attending meetings. He and other members of Healthy Peninsula were working with Washington Hancock Community Agency (WHCA) and the Eastern Agency on Aging to create a support group for caregivers, but he couldn’t leave his wife, Jacqueline, who suffered from Alzheimer’s. He
Downeast Islanders and Adult Day Care Centers
Islanders need to come to the mainland for errands, doctor and dentist appointments, etc., but when an islander cares for a confused loved one or family member, trips to the mainland become difficult. “Transportation is a hard problem for islanders,” said Ted Hoskins, of Blue Hill, who served the Maine Seacoast Mission for years as