News that a Connecticut businesswoman has expressed interest in “buying out” the Canadian Maritime seal hunt is a reminder that some resources can be saved from depletion through a combination of ingenuity, determination and cold cash. What fur coat boycotts, publicity campaigns and lobbying haven’t accomplished, in other words, might be achieved through the actions
Digging for Truth Malaga excavation reveals the lives of an island’s evicted residents
Since state officials orchestrated the mass eviction of Malaga Island residents in 1912, a certain amount of mystery has surrounded the actual lifeways and histories of the this racially-diverse and much maligned island community. In June, two professors and several students from the University of Southern Maine’s Department of Geography and Anthropology conducted the first
Matinicus Playground a Magnet for Kids
A community-built playground on Matinicus is getting a lot of use these days from the next-door students at the island school, both at recess and after school. Natalie Ames, mother of three young children, led the effort to create a sturdy, safe and creative playground for all island children and any visitors who want to
Cableman boogies at Stonington quarry
What do you get when you combine a 26-foot high puppet, an excavator, pink-hatted dancers, a steel pan band and the Stonington Quarry? You get Quarryography, a modern dance work-in-progress that wowed an audience of 450 Aug. 19. The dance piece was a playful collaboration between five Blue Hill peninsula residents and the Stonington Opera
New Feature
Beginning this month, three new writers join Working Waterfront’s corps of columnists. They’ll appear exclusively on our website, starting Oct. 15. David Tyler will cover island-mainland interactions and other topics in Casco Bay. Tina Cohen will share her observations from Vinalhaven. And Nancy Griffin will comment on fisheries and related matters in Maine and the
Lobstermen, scientists study lobster mystery with innovative gear
The lobster is New England’s most commercially valuable marine resource (landings bring in the neighborhood of $250 million annually). Add to that figure the crustacean’s unquantifiable worth as a marketing icon and you¹ll begin to understand why it’s important to forecast the health of future crops. It’s a task that falls somewhere between art and
New Island Fellows Slated for Four Island Towns
Four new Island Institute Fellows have accepted assignments at the request of island communities from Casco Bay to the Mount Desert region, bringing to eight the number of fellows who will live and work in these communities during the 2006-07 year. Annie Tselikis (Stonington), David Steckler (North Haven), Alden Robinson (Long Island) and Scott Sell
Great Cranberry Says Farewell to Island Fellow
On Thursday, August 24, the community of Great Cranberry Island held a surprise barbecue-potluck supper to honor Cyrus Moulton, their Island Institute Fellow for 2004-2006. Moulton’s mother, Lynn, and his brother and sister, Seth and Liza, were brought to the island surreptitiously to preserve the element of surprise. Moulton received numerous gifts including photo collages,
Endowments fund Fellowships
The Island Institute has successfully completed four fellowship endowments of $750,000 each to permanently fund four Island Fellows. The William Bingham Fellow for Rural Education – funded by the William Bingham Trust. William Bingham lived in Bethel, Maine for many years where his charitable interests included educating young people. Bingham left a considerable part of
Secession: What did the Legislature Intend?
In the early 1990s, secession was a hot topic. Secession bills were submitted to the Maine Legislature from Cushing, Great Diamond, Long and Peaks islands to leave the City of Portland. Two coastal neighborhoods of Biddeford also filed bills. Only Long Island succeeded, becoming its own town on July 1, 1993. The flurry of bills