Articles
On Swan’s Island, conserving land could mean economic problems
SWAN’S ISLAND — Most everyone can agree that habitat and wildlife protection is a good thing. But converting private lands into conservation property can potentially benefit and hurt the larger community. It can mean that undeveloped land, formerly in private hands, is now open to the general public to enjoy. But it can also mean
Monhegan postal service is more than mail, islanders say
MONHEGAN PLANTATION — Islanders are concerned about a cutback in hours and pay for the worker who handles retail operations at their island post office. And they’re also concerned the U.S. Postal Service might one day cut its budget for the boat that brings the mail. The retail position, islanders say, has been a good
Use your head? Then rely on kindness of Friends
PORTLAND — In 1995, Friends of Casco Bay bought a boat equipped with a sewage pump-out system, and began offering a mobile pump-out service to recreational and some commercial boats. The service was much needed, said the organization’s citizens steward coordinator, Peter Milholland. “In those days, people weren’t oriented to doing pump-outs,” he said. “They
Nineteenth century island gold and the rush that wasn’t
SWAN’S ISLAND — Earlier this year, Ted Turner gets a call from his aunt on Deer Isle. Ted and his brother Galen Turner (who passed away in 2011) founded the Swan’s Island Lobster and Marine Museum, which holds all kinds of antique fishing and boatbuilding equipment. So he’s received a lot of calls about potential
A sentinel of ocean health, humpback whale numbers grow
BAR HARBOR — On Oct. 10, Allied Whale entered the image of the 8,000th humpback whale into its photographic database. It’s a milestone for the marine mammal research organization, which created the North Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalogue in 1977 with only 120 photographs. It’s also a good sign the endangered species has been rebounding since
The passive house that’s aggressive on heat savings
BELFAST — The idea of spending only $300 per year on our heating and electric bills may have most of us salivating with desire. Given Maine’s often brutally cold winters, it seems an unattainable aspiration. Not so, said Matthew O’Malia and Alan Gibson, founders of G-O Logic, a design-construction firm in Belfast. The two have
Big plans for Blue Hill peninsula’s scenic gem
SEDGWICK — So, you’re toodling along the road through Blue Hill and into Sedgwick, along narrowing, uppy-downy byways that will eventually drop you in the Atlantic Ocean. Suddenly, one of the uppies tops out to a gorgeous vista overlooking a sweeping blueberry barren, a glimpse of Walker’s Pond, Penobscot Bay dotted with islands, and Camden
New lab would expand pest, disease monitoring
ORONO — The concept of biosecurity has moved to the mainstream, as threats from pests and disease spread through international travel are seen and more clearly understood. At the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Service’s Insect and Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab, scientists tasked with diagnosing and monitoring diseases and pests that can affect plant, animal
In a tiny village, massive granite sculptures take form
PROSPECT HARBOR — Arrayed in a circle in a field in a quiet peninsular town, surrounded by woods, farmhouses and small businesses, seven sculptors from around the world are making a heck of a racket. The whining, grinding noise of circular-bladed saws against granite blocks fills the air, punctuated by the pounding of mallets on
Islanders say lobster license waiting list unfair
SWAN’S ISLAND — At age 31, with 15 years of lobster fishing experience under his belt, Zeke Freelove is betting he won’t be able to get a lobster fishing license until he’s 50. That’s because of the state’s limited-entry system, which leaves aspiring fishermen on waiting lists for years. Freelove moved to Swan’s Island when