To the editor: After reading Spencer Apollonio’s letter to the editor in the Nov. 05 issue one thought comes to mind. Is it better to be thought a fool, or speak and remove all doubt? It is plain to see the cut of Spencer’s jib from any direction. Even though three lefts will make a
Shipping Out to School
Most islands in Hancock County have primary schools that feed into Mount Desert Island High School (MDIHS), which is located on an island connected to the mainland. After graduating from their tiny primary school, Swan’s Island students who wish to attend MDIHS must catch a morning ferry to the mainland and an afternoon one back
In the English West Country the birthplace of Maine
BRISTOL, England – We’ll be marking a lot of 400th anniversaries along the coast in the coming years. Last year it was the 400th anniversary of the first failed European colony on our coast (a French one on an island near Calais). This year the residents of Thomaston celebrated English explorer George Waymouth’s 1605 landing
A Model for Others
Steve Cartwright’s article (“Boothbay Harbor Summer Colonies Talk Secession,” WWF, November 05) erroneously portrays the Isle of Springs as a rebellious colony not willing to pay its fair share of taxes. Not true. The Town of Boothbay Harbor is trying to do away with a 100-year-old state charter that established a very fair revenue sharing
Protecting “Maine Lobster” is now a top priority
When Kristen Millar became the Maine Lobster Promotion Council’s new executive director two years ago, she wanted to know who buys lobster, where it is processed, what are customers’ preferences, what are the profit margins. You can’t market a product you don’t know anything about, Millar pointed out. There was no information to be found.
Island Voting: Most islands oppose anti-discrimination repeal, favor waterfront bond issue, constitutional ammendment
Island and mainland residents alike voted down the proposed repeal of Maine’s anti-discrimination law. By large margins they also favored a bond issue that would help preserve working waterfronts and a constitutional amendment to allow “current use” taxation of properties used in connection with the fishing industry. Statewide, the anti-discrimination law repeal failed 45 to
Voting for Good Ideas
Maine voters did the right thing last month by supporting two initiatives to make the state’s coast more affordable and accessible. Passage of Question 7, the constitutional amendment that will allow properties used in connection with the fishing industry to be taxed at their current use, is a huge step in the right direction. Like
Youngest Member
Eden Aurora Aiken, 10, joined the Island Institute in November, becoming the organization’s youngest member. A Cushing resident, Eden “likes to get mail,” she says, and identifies with the Institute’s community mission. She’s an early starter: five years ago, as a “grandfathered” fisherman under the state’s trap limits law, she set out 6 traps and
Institute adds three staff members
Ben Dudley recently joined the Island Institute as the Casco Bay Community Development Officer. He will be based in Portland and will be working closely with Casco Bay islands on self-governance issues and with the Maine Islands Coalition, building its capacity as an advocacy organization. Dudley comes to the Institute with six years’ experience representing
Oil Spill training for coastal communities
For years, husband and wife Girard and Rita Pomeroy have made their living by fishing together off Merasheen Island in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland. This fall, they received training for a very different job, joining a handful of other fishermen in a pilot project to learn about oil spill countermeasures. Over the next three years, 500