Portland Mayor Nathan Smith; Kay Taylor, Chair of the Casco Bay Health Center Board; City Councilors Peter O’Donnell and William Gorham; Julia Wilcock, Volunteers of America’s Director of Program Development and Jerry Garman, Chair of the Peaks Island Senior Housing Advisory Committee, break ground for the Peaks Island Health Center and Senior Housing Facility with
The Long View – Will Maine Island Communities survive in the long run?
During the Island Institute’s recent 20th anniversary celebration, we opened a new 20-year retrospective exhibit that I hope many of you will come to our Main Street headquarters to see. At the same time the Trustees of the Island Institute also unveiled a major capital campaign, “Sustaining A Way of Life,” to meet a $25
Ferry Follies
Ticket agents at Maine state ferry terminals are a patient bunch, answering simple questions about schedules that require only a routine response. Some questions, however, invite multiple responses or are so open-ended that there’s a temptation to bark a short-tempered retort. More often than not, though, an agent will respond to an unusual or unexpected
Institute exhibit, capital campaign launched
Several hundred visitors jammed the Island Institute’s ground floor exhibit space on July 16 for the opening of a retrospective of the organization’s first 20 years. Items on view relate to programs, accomplishments and events since 1984, including pasture clearing on Allen Island, fisheries research in Penobscot Bay, environmental battles in Casco Bay and notable
Islands Managed for Seabird Restoration
The following is part of the “Managing Nature” headlining article of the August WWF. Islands managed by state and federal agencies for seabird restoration are as listed below: Stratton – Saco Bay Outer Green – Casco Bay Jenny – Casco Bay Pond – mouth of Kennebec River Eastern Egg Rock – Muscongus Bay Matinicus Rock
The Edward Myers Connection
Over the years, several Damariscotta River growers who worked with Dr. Hidu at the Darling Center while completing their degrees at University of Maine at Orono received ongoing support and guidance from the late Ed Myers. Sam Chapman says Myers became aware of mussel aquaculture through the work of Richard Lutz and Hidu at the
Cliff Islanders join in friendly competition
On the Fourth of July, Cliff Island celebrated the 30th annual ACE (Athetics, Conservation, and Education) Olympics. ACE is an island organization created 27 years ago to serve community needs. It now supports a variety of programs including the annual Olympics. Earl and Judy MacVane conceived the Olympics 30 years ago as a way to
Vinalhaven library plans ambitious expansion
Andrew Carnegie left quite a legacy in Maine: 18 libraries in towns that previously had none. Vinalhaven was one of those lucky communities, and now, nearly 100 years after it was built, the Vinalhaven Public Library is hoping for a makeover. On June 26, the Friends of the Library Centennial Committee unveiled plans for an
Video highlights initiatives to preserve island communities
The Genesis Community Loan Fund has released a new video that highlights several islands’ efforts to halt the erosion of year-round communities. The Damariscotta-based organization has also launched the Genesis Islands Fund at the Maine Community Foundation to support island based community development initiatives. The very existence of year-round island communities is being eroded by
From the Waterman’s Community Center, North Haven
Film-making for teens & August theatre camp: Know a young person who thinks making movies might be cool? Don’t miss Cecily Pingree’s one-week Intensive Documentary Film-making class for teens ages 13-19. Working together, students will plan, learn how to interview and operate a camera, shoot a film, edit, and then do a public showing of