Nine years ago, Brooksville resident Anne Bossi was distressed about Jesse Leach’s application for a lease to raise oysters in the Bagaduce River close to her farm shoreline. Like many people faced with the prospect of an aquaculture lease in their “backyard,” she was afraid the venture would disturb the quiet, pristine river she had
Featured island car: 1985 Mitsubishi Montero
Island: Isle au Haut Vehicle: 1985 Mitsubishi Montero Owner: Kenneth Breeze Mileage: 81,500 “My sister gave me this car two years ago when it quit running,” wrote owner Kenneth Breeze. “She came running into the house one morning muttering, ‘My car is leaking. I’m losing all my gas.’ With that she grabbed an old
Island work more rewarding, says Chebeague superintendent
The superintendent’s office at the Chebeague Island School is overwhelmed by a copy machine, computer, desk and Donald Trump-style office chair. On Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the year, this office is filled with the sounds of typing, shuffling papers and the distinctive voice of Alton Hadley III. “I love the island,” said Hadley, called “Bump”
Commission urges Maine to open St. Croix River to sea-run alewife
After more than 14 years of contentious debate, momentum is building to allow the sea-run alewife back into Maine’s St. Croix River. On July 10, an international commission with jurisdiction over shared U.S. and Canadian waterways wrote Gov. John Baldacci to urge the removal of structures on dams that block alewives from the river. Canadian
Backyard Maine: Local Essays by Edgar Allen Beem
Tilbury House (2009) Paperback, 224 pages, $15 Local matters In an opinion column that Edgar Allen Beem writes for the Forecaster newspaper called “The Universal Notebook” (which is the reporter’s spiral-bound notebook that fits into most pockets), Beem writes: “The combination of a recession in the economy and a revolution in information technology is conspiring
Chebeague wind power: an idea for the future
Wind power on Chebeague Island is a future possibility, according to economist and island resident John Wilson. “But our best bet right now is to look at conservation.” Speaking to a crowd of about 40 at an informational meeting at the Chebeague Island Hall Saturday morning, Wilson cited the long payback period, the unfavorable
A Step Toward Saving Maine’s Fisheries
Gulf of Maine seafood has fed people for thousands of years and still plays a critical role in providing for New Englanders. But marine systems in this corner of the Atlantic have been radically altered over the years. Now, as fisheries decline and some fishermen are forced to abandon their livelihoods, The Nature Conservancy, Island
Island lobster license bill signed into law
While much of the attention on the State Legislature was on the state budget and an overhaul of the state tax system, an important bill to help island lobstermen was passed. The bill, L.D. 1231, was approved by both houses of the State Legislature on June 2 and was signed by Governor John Baldacci on
A profile of the average lobsterman
Over three-quarters of New England’s lobster is landed in Maine. The average New England lobsterman is 50 years old and has been lobstering for 30 years; his vessel is 32 feet long and 17 years old and has a 260 horsepower engine. We can be grateful to The Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GOMRI), in
Parallel 44
Across the water in Nova Scotia, the provincial government has issued treasure-hunting permits to the current owners of the Oak Island Money Pit, site of perhaps the most famous and enduring buried treasure legend. Members of Michigan-based Oak Island Tours have said they will be moving forward with digs in the “very near future.” For