To the editor: Many of your readers must be getting a chuckle out of the utility pole photographs accompanying Nancy Griffin’s article on the electricity problems on Maine’s islands. The pictures show great views of the telephone cables on the poles, but the electric wires are hardly visible way above, running from the tops of
Missing Island
To the editor: I greatly enjoy WWF, but the “current” (pun intended) article by Nancy Griffin (Nov. 2003, page 1) reminds me of something I keep noticing: there is virtually no coverage of goings-on at Isle au Haut! Why? I know it’s remote, and the year-round population is tiny ( /- 42 last winter, I
Social Injustice
To the editor: … Amendment 13 to the Multi-species Fisheries Management Plan is a federal level proposal that is intended to end over-fishing and to rebuild several fish stocks to never before witnessed biomass levels. Sure sounds like well-intended outcomes, doesn’t it? But, the real question that remains unanswered is, at what cost? The four
Governor to Speak at Access Forum
Maine Gov. John Baldacci will give the keynote speech at a Dec. 17 forum at the Darling Marine Center in Walpole designed to explore solutions to the state’s shrinking access to its working waterfronts. “Working Waterfront Access: A Forum on Challenges and Solutions” will enable communities, fishermen, planners, citizens, water dependent industries and others to
Parallel 44:When Downeasters Colonized the Middle East
With war in Iraq, sanctions in Syria, bombings in Saudi Arabia, and an uprising in Israel’s occupied territories, you might have second thoughts about relocating to the Middle East these days. Would it make any difference if someone told you Judgment Day was at hand? It did for some 19th century residents of the Jonesport
After the Blasting: Vinalhaven’s Windfall Festival Heals a community’s Nerves
All the best traditions come in the fall – apple pressing, pumpkin carving, the giving of thanks, the giving of gifts. On Nov. 1, the Vinalhaven community celebrated what islanders hope will become another fall tradition, the Windfall Festival. That afternoon, islanders were invited to Lydia Sparrow’s farm for a “family-style country fair to celebrate
“Surprise!” Peaks Island Room Transformed for “Reality” Decorating Show
Last August, Peaks Island resident Lynne Richard taped an episode of TLC’s “While You Were Out” at her home. The show, which featured a “pretty flamboyant” redo of her dining room, aired Friday, Oct. 10. For those who don’t know the show, “While You Were Out” operates on the element of surprise. While one homeowner
Catching the Last Fish: In the end, fishery management comes down to politics
In response to Maine fishermen being put out of work, depleted Gulf of Maine groundfish populations, and the crisis of management that is currently affecting the New England groundfish fishery, Maine’s elected federal legislators have many times stepped up to the podium. From proposing and supporting the Sustainable Fisheries Act, appearing at gatherings of threatened
The Test that Failed
On Oct. 24, Islesboro and North Haven residents opened their Saturday newspapers to read their schools had been identified by the state as “in need of improvement.” The list of 142 Maine schools, created as part of the federal No Child Left Behind act, identified schools that failed to make “adequate yearly progress” (AYP). Headlines
Consultant: Seafood Demand Will Rise Nationally
As New England fishermen and processors prepare to face lower catches imposed by stringent new regulations, the annual report released by noted seafood consultant Howard M. Johnson predicts that demand for seafood – which jumped from 14.8 to 15.6 pounds per capita for 2002, the highest figure in a decade – could increase to 16