Articles
True north: Wanderbird explores Labrador, Greenland
BELFAST — It was their curiosity about polar bears that first led Rick and Karen Miles to explore the coast of Labrador and Greenland. But it’s been the friendships they’ve established in the small remote villages there that drive them to return there each year. The Miles are owners of Wanderbird Expeditions, a Belfast-based tour
Woman plans solo kayak trip to Guatemala
TROY — When 63-year old Deb Walters visited Guatemala nine years ago, the living conditions she saw were permanently etched in her mind. Unlike some who walk away unaffected, Walters felt compelled to help. “I visited the Guatemala City garbage dump,” she remembered. “I smelled the methane and the rotten garbage. I felt the choking dust
Nova Scotia ferry service may resume between Yarmouth and Portland
PORTLAND — Nova Scotia officials announced in early September that an agreement has been reached with the Maine company STM Quest Inc. to operate a cruise ferry between Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and Portland. In a written statement, Economic and Rural Development and Tourism Minister Graham Steele said that Quest plans to put a cruise ferry in the
Great Whites hold key place in ecosystem
MAINE — They’re here. Lobstermen off Boothbay Harbor on July 30 watched and filmed what they believe was a Great White Shark feeding on a minke whale carcass. Later in the week, a visitor to Wells Beach reported seeing a shark near the shore of the popular swimming area. Whether it’s the warmer waters or
‘Lab in a can’ helps state monitor red tide
The Massachusetts-based Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has introduced a new device for monitoring and predicting “red tide events” in New England. Red tide is a harmful algal bloom which can color ocean water red. Toxins released by the blooms may be ingested by shellfish and cause humans who eat toxic shellfish to develop paralytic
Book keeps lighthouse memories lit for younger generations
RICHMOND — Ernie DeRaps had no formal training for capturing, in paint, images of Maine’s lighthouses. But by relying on his own photographs and memories from years of living and working at lighthouses, he was able to create paintings faithful to all 65 of the state’s maritime guardians. DeRaps, 85, had a powerful motivation for
Nova Scotia rejects proposals for reviving Maine ferry service
YARMOUTH, Nova Scotia — Nova Scotia officials have rejected two new proposals for operating a ferry service between Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and Maine. Proposals were submitted by Quest Navigation Inc. of Eliot, which planned to begin service this summer, and Maritime Applied Physics Corp. of Baltimore. Both were rejected, according to the provincial government, because they failed to meet
Harpswell Lobsterman Runs First Solar-Powered Wharf
Cutting costs is one key to survival in the lobster industry these days. The unusually large harvest of softshell lobsters and the high cost of fuel have just about driven some Maine lobstermen out of business. One local lobsterman, however, has found an ingenious method of lowering at least one of his bills. Harpswell native
Maine Lobsterman Memorial to Remain on Washington D.C. Waterfront
Senator Susan Collins and other U.S. senators have been working with Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.’s non-voting delegate to the U.S. House) regarding legislation to ensure that the Maine Lobsterman statue on the D.C. waterfront will remain on display after a major redevelopment is completed there in the near future. The statue is a replica
Lobster trap storage deregulated
In response to a three-and-a-half-year battle between a Bristol lobsterman and the Department of Environmental Protection, trap and gear storage will now be allowed on wharfs throughout the state. Representative Jonathan McKane of Newcastle introduced LD 49 “An Act to Allow Storage of Lobster Traps on Docks”. Governor Paul LePage signed the bill into law