The Vinalhaven Planning Board unanimously approved the construction permit of the Fox Islands wind power project at its May 13 meeting. The vote marks the completion of all local permitting for the project. Pending expected approval from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, construction of three, 1.5 megawatt wind turbines is scheduled to begin in
Port Clyde Fresh Catch joins the Rockland Farmers Market
Starting Thursday, June 4, Port Clyde Fresh Catch, the seafood of the Midcoast Fishermen’s Cooperative, will be available at the Rockland Farmers Market each week. Picked shrimp meat, halibut fillets, and halibut steaks will be available this week at the market, all processed and frozen in the cooperative’s new Port Clyde-based processing facility. Starting June
New oyster-farming technology comes to Maine
Ken Beebe, of Harpswell, would like to trade his day job painting houses for raising oysters. “All my life I’ve been painting houses,” he says. “I want to get away from the fumes, be in the fresh air working on the water.” He hopes a new oyster farming technology, OysterGro, which has been used successfully
Island youths run Vinalhaven’s first Internet cafe
Spring is a time of renewal, and this season the Vinalhaven Arts and Recreation Center (ARC) is enjoying a renewal of its own with the implementation of the Vinalhaven Youth Zone (VYZ) and the ARCafe. The VYZ is a supervised space for student socializing and the ARCafe is the island’s first Internet cafe. ARC Director
Truckin’ with lobsters
The problem of moving live lobster from Atlantic to Western Canada or the Western United States so it arrives as fresh as it was when it came out of the water prompted Antigonish, Nova Scotia fisherman and self-taught engineer Joe Boudreau to buy into a holding system for live animals developed in the mid-nineties. “I
Long Island votes for town administrator position
Long Island voters approved funding for the new position of town administrator at its annual town meeting on May 9. The vote marks a turning point for the town-it’s the first time voters have approved the hiring of outside support to assist in town government since its secession from Portland in 1993. There were 17
Islanders pick their battles with invasive species
Islands have their own unique ecosystems, but their isolation also makes them uniquely vulnerable to invaders from the mainland. Landscapers who want to use Japanese barberry in their garden designs aren’t welcome on Monhegan Island, for example. Bamboo doesn’t have any friends on Swan’s Island. Bittersweet is considered more bitter than sweet on Islesboro. Monhegan’s
Matinicus Island holds annual Town Meeting
Matinicus Isle Plantation held the annual Town Meeting on April 25 at 6 p.m. at the Matinicus Island Elementary School. Tom Wellman was nominated and duly sworn in as moderator for the meeting. The meeting was attended by 32 registered voters and seven guests. Kevin Waters of Penobscot Island Air and Chuck Kruger, the Maine
Matinicus fellow helps write new curricula for island school
For Lana Cannon, this is the job of a lifetime. As the Island Institute’s William Bingham Fellow for Rural Education on Matinicus, Lana is immersed in the local school, facing challenges with newfound skills that she believes will serve her for life, and making changes that will serve the school and the community far into
Island Institute awards scholarships to 96 island students
The Island Institute announced the 2009 Maine Island Scholarship awards, which will provide $130,000 in college scholarships to 96 island students who are pursuing post-secondary studies at colleges, universities and vocational/technical schools in Maine and around the country. Awards range from $250 to $6,000 and represent the Island Institute’s ongoing commitment to help island families