The Circus Ship Island Author and History Tour has returned to port after a unique and wonderful journey. We visited 10 Maine island schools and communities: North Haven, Vinalhaven, Isle au Haut, Deer Isle Stonington, Frenchboro, Mount Desert Island, Swans’s Island, Islesford, Islesboro and Matinicus Island. Our thanks to all for the warm welcome and
A new system of fisheries management
Groundfishermen are in the midst of one of the biggest changes is fisheries management in decades. Starting May 1, a new management plan takes effect, allowing commercial fishermen to organize in “sectors,” to manage an allocation of fish. A sector is a group of fishermen and is not based on a geographical area. The new
Summers in Maine lead to romance, 70 years later
Every Sunday, the New York Times features “Vows,” an article offering backstory on a couple recently married, with their nuptials described in detail. Something special in the relationship and the event gives the story poignancy that a wider audience, beyond those personally knowing the couple, would appreciate. I’ve read them over the years. Sometimes the
Time and Tide in Acadia: Seasons on Mount Desert Island
W.W. Norton & Co. 2009 Hardcover, 199 pages, $24.95 Solo wanderings in Acadia If you could never set foot on Mount Desert Island, Christopher Camuto’s book would take you on a tactile, sensory exploration of “a strong place…a violent place given the jumble of boulders…,” allowing you to feel “the vigor of this coast” while
Featured Island Car: 1974 Chevy Custom 10 Sport Van
Vehicle: 1974 Chevy Custom 10 Sport Van Island: Vinalhaven Owner: Phil Roberts Milage: Over 340,000 miles Phil Roberts, who runs the Libby House Inn on Vinalhaven, wrote “This van was first named Blue # 2. For the last 17 years it has been called Desert Storm. In its first life, it hauled music students up and
Yes wind can
It has been a pleasure reading from afar the tremendous progress of the Fox Islands Wind Project. However, my greatest pleasure has been the renewed appreciation of the “can do” spirit of Mainers living up to the state’s motto “Dirigo,” for other New Englanders to emulate. The sense of community and commitment to get the
Sectors: A new course for fishermen
What are fishing sectors all about? It’s about the government trying to give another management option to New England’s groundfish fishermen. This new management plan, taking effect in May, will allow commercial fishermen in defined “sectors” to decide on their own how to manage their catch which will be capped by a limit. The sector
Fishermen react to proposed offshore wind testing sites
“There’s very little [ocean] bottom that isn’t fished for lobster,” stated Spruce Head fisherman Robert Baines, referring to state waters from the beach to three miles out. Ocean bottom chosen for offshore wind testing sites, “will inevitably displace fishermen,” he said. The Maine State Planning Office and the Maine Department of Conservation have nominated four
A medley of Maine children’s books for the holidays
What has happened to enchantment? I refer to enchantment of the old kind-finding books in a library or being gloriously elated by the recipient of a gift of a book. Is there room for that fairy-tale-like enthrallment any more-opening pages, receding in one’s dream-like mind together with a wonderfully illustrated small tale? A recent Wall
Essay: Building DiMillo’s Marina
The year was 1978 and the fledgling Old Port District, Commercial Street and Long Wharf were decidedly different places. No trendy shops, hotels, coffee shops or narrated tours. It was the era of David “The Dogman” Koplow who fed his dozen or so loose dogs raw fish as they roamed the waterfront. DiMillo’s, then on