Twenty years ago, Frenchboro decided it wanted to grow. With the help of the Rockefeller Foundation and many others, the Frenchboro Future Development Corporation was formed, and undertook a project to provide affordable family housing. The goal was to attract young families, and today it’s clear the plan worked. All 12 lots in the affordable
Teacher Appreciation Week
On May 9 (during Teacher Appreciation Week), Islesboro Central School teachers were treated to an elegant luncheon provided by grateful parents (Bonnie Mowery-Oldham photo).
Crab decision sparks riot, but boycott ends
A boycott of the snow crab fishery by traditional New Brunswick crabbers to protest a federal quota decision was canceled on May 20, effective May 23. Called on May 5, one day before the season opening, the boycott was intended to protest the decision by Fisheries and Oceans Minister Robert Thibault to lower the total
Long Island holds town meeting
On Saturday, May 3, Long Island held its annual town meeting. Mark Greene was unanimously elected to preside as moderator. After an initial nomination of Warren Brayley for Selectman, which produced the immediate reply “My wife says I respectfully decline,” Thomas MacVane won the three-year seat with 56 votes to Bradley Brown’s 31. Joe Oldfield
Canada plans to protect large female lobsters – sometime
Within the space of 24 hours in May, the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans announced its plan to protect some female lobsters off the coast of Prince Edward Island – and then conceded that it didn’t have the equipment to implement it. DFO officials declined to elaborate, but Ken Campbell, communications officer for the
Port security
For obvious reasons, the first target of the United States’ heightened security following the September 2001 terrorist attacks was airlines. It wasn’t long, however, before officials recognized that the nation’s seaports presented a gaping hole in the nation’s security network. In response, the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) established the first framework for security at
“Person building” The Carpenter’s Boatshop builds more than boats
Bobby Ives likens the program at the Carpenter’s Boatshop, which he and his wife, Ruth, established in 1979, to a safe harbor. There, he says, people from all walks of life and ages can drop anchor and reassess their direction while living a simple, structured life for nine months. Apprentices at the Boatshop have ranged
Southport Island artist savors life at 98
You may have eaten off her art in the form of a restaurant placemat. You might have seen her maps in tourist shops. They are artistic and informative, maps with points of interest highlighted by line drawings of boats, houses, forts, fish, even a sea serpent. These maps are not for navigation, but they could
Alone and just fine: My life as a school’s sole seventh grader
Frenchboro is a small fishing village clustered around Lunt’s Harbor on Outer Long Island, over eight miles off Bass Harbor Head Light. The 43 people that live here in the winter get three ferry trips per week, and there are no round trips, so when you are here, you stay here! Frenchboro School is in
Insurers claim island properties are too risky
Need a new insurance policy for your island home? Forget it. You’re just too risky, out there in the bay. Both islanders and insurance agents say if you’ve got a policy already, it may be escape being canceled. But if you’re starting fresh, the industry won’t touch you. Maine island life hasn’t suddenly gotten more