Articles
Youngest Member
Eden Aurora Aiken, 10, joined the Island Institute in November, becoming the organization’s youngest member. A Cushing resident, Eden “likes to get mail,” she says, and identifies with the Institute’s community mission. She’s an early starter: five years ago, as a “grandfathered” fisherman under the state’s trap limits law, she set out 6 traps and
Institute adds three staff members
Ben Dudley recently joined the Island Institute as the Casco Bay Community Development Officer. He will be based in Portland and will be working closely with Casco Bay islands on self-governance issues and with the Maine Islands Coalition, building its capacity as an advocacy organization. Dudley comes to the Institute with six years’ experience representing
A New Bridge
Some readers will ask why we’re devoting so much space this month to a bridge across the Penobscot River. We’ve done so for a couple of reasons: it’s an important piece of coastal infrastructure over which a lot of the Maine coast’s products must travel to reach their markets, and, quite simply, it’s an innovative
Painting Raffle Will Raise Funds for North Haven school
Laugh and Learn Preschool is in its second year of operations this fall on North Haven. Currently 11 children are enrolled in the preschool program, while and five toddlers attend the Little Urchin toddler program. To help raise money to pay for the two teachers in the classroom and supplies, artist Pamela Grumbach donated a
Senator proposes grants to purchase waterfront property
On Sept. 19, Maine Sen. Susan Collins introduced the Working Waterfront Preservation Act to help the commercial fishing industry combat the loss of vital waterfront property and protect Maine and the nation’s maritime heritage. Sen. Collins’s legislation would authorize $50 million in federal grants for each fiscal year from 2005 to 2007. The grants, which
2006 Island Photo Calendar is available
The Islands Community Medical Services (ICMS) has published, for the second year, a fundraising calendar featuring images taken around Vinalhaven. Drawing from over 350 donated images, an island committee of artists selected 40 for inclusion in the 2006 calendar. Last year’s calendar was well received. This year’s has more images, and is printed on better
Two Kinds of Housing Developments
In separate stories this month, we explore aspects of the Maine coast’s housing problem. For a look at the high end, consider the development just proposed for a peninsula on Islesboro. Philip Conkling notes that the first of the big, national real estate developers has arrived in Maine – on Islesboro, to be exact –
“Yes” on 5 and 7
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: voters on November 8 have two chances to support economic opportunity on the Maine coast. They can support the bond issue that would fund the Land for Maine’s Future program, including $2 million for working waterfront acquisitions, and they can vote for a constitutional amendment to
Working Waterfronts Mapped in New Book
The release of a new book of maps of Maine’s working waterfronts was announced at a news conference in South Freeport where supporters of the campaign for passage of Questions 5 and 7 on the November ballot spoke about the need to protect Maine’s working waterfronts. “Maine’s coastal economy and fishing heritage are under threat
Couple Gives Land Trust $500,000 to buy working waterfront
A Boothbay Harbor couple with an interest in preserving local working waterfront has donated $500,000 to the Boothbay Region Land Trust for the purchase of a small but choice shore property on Barters Island. The 1.9-acre parcel is at the end of Kimballtown Road, contiguous to the land trust’s 19-acre Porter Preserve. It consists of