SOUTHWEST HARBOR — An extensive collection of images, snapped in Southwest Harbor by resident photographer Willis Humphreys Ballard from 1934 to 1977, has opened a window on the area’s life and times. Ballard’s 3,500 prints and negatives are a major part of the Southwest Harbor Public Library’s overall holdings of around 10,000 historic photographs dating
Exceptional, some might say eerie, experiences among Maine fishermen
The June issue of Working Waterfront featured a brief article about my work on “exceptional experiences” among fishermen. Several readers saw the article and followed up, which I greatly appreciate. I promised to keep editor Tom Groening up to date on my progress. Here’s the first installment. Seven fishermen have shared their stories. Each experience
Commercial use of recreational boat facilities questioned in Lubec
LUBEC — Despite its historic ties to the sea, there are limited docking facilities in this Passamaquoddy Bay town. So limited, in fact, that commercial and recreational use has sparked some conflict. Many commercial fishermen use the state-owned and maintained public landing, but that facility is designated for recreational use. Typically, conflicts between recreational and
Doggedly focused on a ‘forever’ fishing future
STONINGTON — It’s not pie-in-the-sky optimism that drives Robin Alden. It’s fish-in-the-sea facts. Alden, executive director of the Penobscot East Resource Center, a non-profit organization she formed in 2003, believes passionately and rationally in PERC’s slogan, “Fish Forever.” Focusing geographically on the region of eastern Penobscot Bay, including the Fox Islands, eastward to the Canadian
Machias train station restoration on track
MACHIAS — The restoration of a venerable train depot here, known as Station 98 and listed on the National Register of Historic Sites, is steaming down the track and into the heart of the community. The Machias Bay Area Chamber of Commerce is spearheading the effort to restore a depot that is in “the most
Mowing the old-fashioned way
Five years ago, Jim Kovaleski bought a scythe from Scythe Supply in Perry and it has transformed the way he farms, he said. Living six months a year on Ellen Johnson’s farm on the St Croix River in Robbinston, Kovaleski manages the acreage once extensively farmed by Johnson’s father. Kovaleski is an ardent permaculturist, carefully
Ports and progress
Few question the repaving of Route 1, the upgrading of sewer lines or the expansion of fiber optic communication lines. We understand that such infrastructure is necessary to support a thriving economy. Sure, a proposal to widen the Maine Turnpike in Southern Maine 20 years ago was met with an organized opposition and actually defeated
The summer of squid, a new island and crab cannibalism
It’s been the summer of squid in New England, the Salem News reports: “Local fishermen and boaters are seeing a marked increase in long fin squid, a species normally more common south of Cape Cod.” Actually, it’s the second summer of squid, according to Michael Armstrong of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. “Their abundance
There’s joy in mingling at the dock
It’s official. I have become one of those people. I look at my watch (well, cell phone, let’s be real here) and notice it’s about 4pm; the mailboat is coming in. Even when I don’t have a reason to do so, I rush down to the dock. At first, it happened to coincide with when
Brown finds brain challenges on North Haven
NORTH HAVEN — For 27-year-old April Brown, the key to making a life on North Haven is finding ways to use her brain. After graduating from University of Maine Farmington in 2008 with a degree in rehabilitation services and a minor in psychology, Brown moved back to North Haven. “I thought that I would take