In a K-12 school with fewer than 70 students, it’s easier to respond to individual needs and requests. When some of our students at North Haven Community School indicated that they’d like to have an astronomer come to school, a little research on astronomer-plus-outreach brought up Southern Maine Astronomers, from Portland. What a find! A
Groups praise coastal jobs creation bill
The Island Institute and the Midcoast Fishermen’s Association praised a new jobs bill for fishermen. The bill, “The Coastal Jobs Creation Act of 2010 (H.R.4914) was drafted and introduced by U.S. Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-1st District) with two co-sponsors, according to a press release from the two groups. This bill is designed to aid economic
Presentation about trip around Cape Horn benefits Camden Snow Bowl
On Sunday, April 11, beginning at 7 p.m., there will be a one-time-only slide-show and video presentation at the Camden Snow Bowl by transatlantic sailor Tom Amory who, with a crew of four friends from Camden and Rockport, made a recent sailing voyage around the legendary region of Cape Horn and the Beagle Channel aboard
Loss of lobster income streses island communities
It’s no secret that times are tough for Maine lobstermen. New figures just came out from the state Department of Marine Resources (DMR) that dramatically show how bad things are. The good news is that the lobster resource is strong: preliminary 2009 lobster landings were the highest ever recorded, at 75,595,534 pounds. The bad news
CREST students and teachers highlight projects from past five years
Anyone walking through the Hall of Flags in the State House on March 18 would have been greeted by students and teachers from both island and mainland schools taking part in an event that helped cap off five years of CREST programming at their schools. In total, 57 students and 18 teachers from 12 different
Island Car: 1986 GMC Fire Truck
Vehicle: 1968 GMC Fire Truck Island: Hurricane Island Owner: James P Gaston “In 1999 my father purchased the first, and probably the last, Hurricane Island fire truck,” writes James R. Gaston, whose father owns the island. “He had the intention of actually using it in the event of a fire on the
From the Deck: Hand-lining from a sloop
In the good old days before inshore fishing was strictly regulated, our family used to go fishing in our sloop, Dorothy. We were summer people, cottagers, not tourists. We were my wife, Mary and our three boys: twins Bob and Bill, 14, and John, 12. We sailed out of Newagen on the tip of Southport
The risks of holding lobsters
This year Canadian lobstermen are holding more lobster than ever before. Dealer Bruce Saunders, of Lunenburg Fish, in Lunenburg, N.S., said of the fishermen he deals with, about 30 percent more than usual are holding rather than selling their catch this year. Canadian dealers estimate that between 5 and 8 million pounds of lobster
Planning underway for offshore wind test site
On a recent morning on Monhegan, a team of researchers from New Jersey Audubon showed up to scout potential locations for a study of the island’s bird population. They are the first of many research teams set to begin arriving this month as plans for the offshore wind-testing site get underway. The project is in
Holmquist and Parsons featured in new Archipelago show
Archipelago Fine Arts, the Island Institute’s art gallery at 386 Main Street in Rockland, will feature landscapes by two well-known Maine artists, Brita Holmquist and Herbert Parsons, in its 2010 Spring Show, Horizons: Views of Penobscot Bay. The show runs through June 19. Born in New York City, Brita Holmquist spent her early years surrounded