Articles
Two-thirds of Sears Island protected from development
In January, the State of Maine placed two-thirds of Sears Island under a conservation easement, protecting that portion of the island from development while leaving the remaining one-third open for a possible container port. Depending on one’s perspective, the conservation agreement was anywhere from four to 40 years in the making. The fate of Sears
Bizarre wave event in Boothbay Harbor puzzles scientists
On the afternoon of October 28, the water in Boothbay Harbor seemed to disappear, withdrawing toward the ocean, then all at once rushing back toward shore in a muddy swirl of currents and 4-to12-foot waves. Then it happened again, and again. The ocean’s strange behavior was noted along the coast from Bristol to Cundy’s Harbor.
PenBay buoy saved, gulf observation network in jeopardy
Since 1996, a buoy in Penobscot Bay has provided up-to-the-minute data on currents, temperature, salinity, wind and waves to anyone who needs it. Turns out, a lot of people need it. The owner of a small sailboat checks it to judge the safety of local cruising conditions in Penobscot Bay. A marine patrol officer monitors
FERC grants nine tidal energy permits in Maine
In the eternal pursuit of energy, Americans have pumped the desert ground, drilled the Arctic tundra, and blasted the mountains of Appalachia. Now, a new frontier in alternative energy is being explored in coastal bays, harbors, and rivers, and Maine is at the very edge of that frontier. Relatively untapped and unexplored before a 2005
Plans for port, recreation drawn for Sears Island
Marine transportation, recreation, education and conservation can coexist on Sears Island, according to members of the Joint Use Planning Committee, who have worked over the last nine months to delineate the island into 600 acres of conservation land and 341 acres zoned for transportation uses. Gov. John Baldacci created the Sears Island Planning Initiative in
Coastal pollution costs $29 million in lost revenue
Once upon a time most of our seafood came from our own watery backyard. But as our population has grown, especially along the coast, more and more local clam, mussel and oyster beds have become off-limits because of pollution. Today, 181,780 acres of Maine’s nearshore shellfish habitat are classified as having impaired water quality. This
Penobscot bottom sediment could be headed for bay disposal site
Cianbro Corporation is proposing to dispose of 32,000 cubic yards of Penobscot River bottom sediment in west Penobscot Bay, about 4 ½ miles off Rockland. Cianbro plans to dredge the bottom of the river as part of redevelopment of the former Eastern Fine Paper Mill in Brewer. Cianbro will raze most of the mill buildings
Planning for the PenobscotAs a river flows cleaner, groups collaborate to map its future
Several related and parallel efforts are underway to address changes occurring in the Penobscot watershed. Most have come in the wake of the Penobscot River Restoration Project, which in 2003 announced plans to remove the Great Works and Veazie dams, create a natural bypass channel around the Howland Dam on the Piscataquis, and rebalance hydropower
Known Positions Before surveyors could chart depths, they had to fix heights
On the coast of Washington County, a small hill rises between Pigeon Hill Bay and Dyer Bay. The 317-foot summit is marked by a cairn of stones; beneath the stones is a copper bolt driven into the exposed granite, marking an 1856 visit by the Survey of the Coast, the first scientific agency created by
Animal Sacrifice
Come spring, hundreds of harbor seals will haul out on the rocky ledges of Maine islands for pupping season. The silvery bodies of harbor seals sprawled in the sun have become a common sight since their numbers have increased over the last twenty years. Yet this seemingly healthy population of seals carries a heavy burden