During June, the Stone Wharf on Chebeague Island bustles with activity as barges drop off cars and trucks, passengers come and go on the Chebeague Transportation Company’s ferry, Islander, and lobstermen rig traps and load them onto their boats. At this time of year, lobsterman Stephen Johnson can be found in the midst of all of
Island Institute to celebrate its 25th birthday
The Island Institute turns 25 this summer and will launch its silver anniversary with an extensive show of new work by Peter Ralston, well-known photographer of the Maine coast and the Institute’s executive vice-president and co-founder. The show will run through October 25 and includes new work since his celebrated 1997 book, Sightings: A Maine
An Island Golf Course for Everyman (or Woman)
On a summer day nearly 90 years ago, two old friends were out picking berries when they hatched the idea of starting a golf club on Great Chebeague Island in Casco Bay. Chebeague summer residents George Spaulding and B.R.T. Collins immediately set out to solicit support for the venture. Their friends and some island entrepreneurs
Firm tests new tidal power equipment in the Eastport area
Could electric power generated from tidal currents in Passamaquoddy and Cobscook Bays be sufficient to take Eastport and, possibly, Washington County off the power grid? Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) and Eastport officials are betting it can. To that end ORPC plans to begin commercial power production by October 2009, according to company president and
Long Island is “too busy” to celebrate 15 years of independence
Fifteen years ago on the first of July, Long Island seceded from the city of Portland and became its own independent town. The fifth and tenth anniversaries of the Town’s incorporation saw huge celebrations. This year, however, no celebrations are planned. “Long Island is always up for a party, but people are stretched thin,” said
FERC grants nine tidal energy permits in Maine
In the eternal pursuit of energy, Americans have pumped the desert ground, drilled the Arctic tundra, and blasted the mountains of Appalachia. Now, a new frontier in alternative energy is being explored in coastal bays, harbors, and rivers, and Maine is at the very edge of that frontier. Relatively untapped and unexplored before a 2005
Seascapes: Getting to Know the Sea Around Us and Muscongus Bay Atlas 2008
Two new publications, appearing first online, detail every aspect of the coastal, marine areas of Muscongus Bay. Besides the specific information about one bay area, the two guides offer an outline for people in other estuaries, communities and organizations to do the same. Both guides were produced under the auspices of the Quebec-Labrador Foundation/Atlantic Center
Down East Lobstermen’s Association prepares for harder times
Lobstermen all along the coast are worried about the possibility of this year’s lobster harvest dipping below last year’s, which was the fourth year of a slide from the peak, prompting fears the trend would continue. That worry is why downeast lobstermen are putting their traps in later this year, and why many curtailed their