When Long Island broke ground on a sunny day last Aug. 8 for its library and school addition, no one in the crowd was thinking of the challenges of constructing a building in the winter on an island. CPM Constructors expected to complete the winterized shell by Christmas. But this year, winter came early. There
At 91, Islesboro’s Pauline Byrd says and does “whatever I darn please”
When Islesboro resident Pauline Byrd turned 90, a circle of her island friends joined her for a birthday party, where she announced that, being 90 years old, she was now going to do and say “whatever I darn well please.” Puzzled looks came over the partygoers’ faces, since this represented no discernible change at all,
Construction resumes on Waterman’s Community Center
One might say “come hell or high water, Waterman’s will be completed!” Fortunately the high water factor has already been taken care of. Because of its location right on the water on the island of North Haven, the enhancement of the community center required several adjustments relative to waterfront buildings within the floodplain. Factors such
Working waterfront is a scarce commodity
Rising property values and skyrocketing taxes are putting the squeeze on traditional water dependent uses in Maine’s coastal towns. Maine’s fishing industry is feeling the pinch; about 75 percent of Maine’s waterfront access for fishermen is private, and 40 percent is through residential waterfront property. Escalating taxes on these properties are pricing many fishermen off
Monks, Native Americans visit North Haven
For the most part, human diversity exists on Maine islands in color only, and that thanks to individuals or couples who have adopted children of other cultures. It was therefore a mind-expanding time on North Haven when Arnold Neptune, a Penobscot Indian elder, presented workshops on the history and culture of the Penobscot Nation, and
Fishermen’s Forum set for March, unveils new website
The Maine Fishermen’s Forum, preparing for its 28th season, boasts a new website, created by Mike Young, husband of Chilloa Young, who has served as Forum Coordinator for the past five years. Mike Young, Phippsburg Town Administrator since 1995, has extensive webmaster experience with a website which he set up for the town two years
Polar Plunge
Volunteers, some rather chilly, raised over $7,000 for Chebeague Island’s teen programs over the weekend of Jan. 18-19. A Rock-A-Thon went for 12 hours, and the much-anticipated Polar Plunge drew 10 participants. The water temperature was 33 degrees, and at least two hardy souls, Island Institute Fellow Leah McDonald and staff member Chris Cash, went
Enhancing lobster stocks because – well, you never know …
Maine has an abundant supply of lobsters – total catches during several of recent years have been record-breakers – and scientists can find and track Homarus americanus all along the crustacean’s path of development from the larval stage to the large offshore broodstock. Odd then, that a Maine scientist wants to expend energy trying to
Candadian Auditor General calls Coast Guard inefficient; others complain of budget cuts
The Canadian Auditor General has issued a report to the House of Commons that is highly critical of the Canadian Coast Guard’s efficiency, management practices and ability to protect mariners. An opposition Member of Parliament from Newfoundland is equally critical. But a Newfoundland fishermen’s representative says that the fault lies in inadequate funding for the
Oceans 2020, Science, Trends, and the Challenge of Sustainability
By John G. Field, Gotthilf Hempel and Collin P. Summerhayes Washington, D.C.: Island Press Put together after a 1999 United Nations conference on the oceans, this is essentially a serial book, published after the once-a-decade or so UN conferences on ocean trends. This past decade brought the largest worldwide impacts of man upon the oceans,