Institute schedules summer lecture series

Each year in June and July, the Island Institute schedules a series of lectures, usually on topics covered in the annual Island Journal. Speakers are often the authors of stories in the magazine. On Wednesday, June 25, Nancy Griffin of Thomaston will speak about Bell Island, Newfoundland, which she described in a story about that

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Woodturning demonstration at Archipelago

On Saturday, June 14 – Father’s Day – from noon to 3 p.m. Joaz Hill will be at Archipelago, the Island Institute’s retail store on Rockland’s Main Street, demonstrating the art of woodturning. Joaz’s work reflects his passion for innovation and experimentation. Over the years, he has found that the characteristics of the wood itself

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Risk-averse

Insurance companies, it seems, are increasingly risk-averse these days. No surprise to anyone who’s seen his or her car insurance premium go up after a claim or two, or to the parents of teenage drivers, or to anyone who has paid a health insurance premium lately – but at the end of the day it

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Cod and a province

Top-down fisheries management, to some extent discredited in the United States, is alive and well in Canada. So the Canadian federal government’s decision a month ago to close down what was left of Newfoundland’s legendary cod fishery was at least in character, if not welcomed by fishermen and their families. Unfortunately it’s more of the

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Investing in the future

Congratulations to the people of the Cranberry Isles, who saw an opportunity to solve a perennial problem and took action – in their case, purchasing a piece of property in Southwest Harbor for a mainland parking lot. Having title to this lot will help Islesford and Great Cranberry, the two islands in the town with

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Monhegan: where an artist can’t not paint

Perhaps more than any other Maine island, Monhegan has a history of being an artists’ colony, a place where artists flock in the summertime to make and sell art. Rockwell Kent, Jay Connaway and Andrew Wyeth established this reputation decades ago, and today’s artists are both enjoying the benefits of that reputation and carrying on

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Monhegan votes to have a plantation office

Monhegan held its town meeting on the evening of April 22 at the Monhegan school with approximately 30 residents in attendance. Doug Boynton was elected moderator. Those newly elected to positions in town government were Catherine Gill, Plantation Clerk and Collector of Taxes, Jenn Pye, Treasurer and Jessica Stevens, Road Commissioner. After much discussion residents

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OnIsland.org is a new place to discuss island issues

In hope of increasing communication about the issues related to life on Maine’s islands, two islanders have created an online discussion forum. The forum – which can be found at www.onisland.org – currently has nine topics: logistics, island visitors, stewardship, government, services/vendors, real estate/ rentals, island property owners newsletter, islands in the news, and islandness

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