The State of Maine and the corporation that controls land that’s part of a beachfront state park in Cape Elizabeth are continuing to negotiate on a long-term deal to guarantee continued public access to the entirety of the park’s beachfront, according to officials close to the issue. Both sides say they are actively seeking to
Internal Debate
(Recorded surreptitiously) Romney: Hi Barak, it’s Mitt. Obama: Hi Mitt, what’s up? Romney: Look, I know it’s been a tough campaign season, but I have a proposition that I think will be good for both of us. I propose we agree not to mention anything about global warming or climate change during
AmeriCorps Chief Visits Maine
Kate Webber, an AmeriCorps volunteer on Swan’s Island, talked about her work to digitally record and exhibit town history four years after fire leveled the town library and destroyed historical documents. An Island Fellow with the Island Institute, Webber said that while she fell in love with the island, she doesn’t plan to marry a
Innovations to Increase and Stabilize Fishing Profits
Earlier this week the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its annual report on the state of U.S. fisheries and overall, the news was fairly positive. U.S. fishermen caught 10.1 billion pounds of fish in 2011, up nearly 20 percent from 2010. They did so while remaining increasingly within science-based total catch limits intended to
A Fish that Built a Port
A butterfish on deck in a tote with ice, slushed down in sea water—it’s almost heaven. White flesh full of fat, the good sea fat, not the potato chip kind. They’ve got beautiful silver bodies, flattened like a frisbee, tiny scales. And the fish are nearly spineless, except for a micro-spine at the base of
Science and Technology for the Global Island Village
Washington, which devises acronym for everything it does, has a relatively new one for its educational policy goals, called “S.T.E.M.” learning, meaning the teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in our schools and colleges. And the reason is simple: no other type of learning has the potential to create not just millions of jobs
State Proposes 10-year Scallop Plan
For Jonesport fisherman Preston Alley, it’s hard to count on the scallop season. Recently, the seasons have started out strong, but they soon peter out. “It’s getting hard to make something out of it,” Alley said. Many Maine scallopers are in the same boat, said Trisha De Graaf, resource management coordinator for the Maine Department
Single-Stream Recycling on North Haven
North Haven’s transfer station sits atop a hill overlooking a stand of trees. The facility is laid out over a loop of dirt road, on which stands a glossy green compactor. It collects the contents of blue bins brought to the facility by islanders participating in their new single-stream recycling system. Until this July, islanders
Ferry Terminal Eyed for Thriving Cruise Ship Traffic
The 60-year-old ferry service that connected Bar Harbor with Nova Scotia was discontinued in 2010, but the town and the Maine Port Authority (MPA) still consider the terminal to be a valuable asset for the region. After a study of alternative uses for the four-and-a-half-acre property, the MPA is now looking to acquire the facility,
Dirigo – 21st Century Working Waterfronts
Dirigo — the Maine state motto (“I lead”). When Maine voters passed a constitutional referendum in 2005 to provide tax relief to protect commercial fishing properties and to fund a $2 million bond to acquire permanent access for future fisheries, there were only 20 miles of working waterfronts left along more than 5000 miles of