Over the past 50 years or so we’ve done a pretty good job of saving eagles and ospreys from DDT, coastal forests from developers, clam flats from sewage and sand dunes from inappropriate construction projects. Not that we’ve done all we could do — far from it — but in these areas and others, Maine
Stripers and Lobsters – Is there a new predator in our midst?
When it comes to fisheries management, a “balanced ecosystem” is everyone’s goal. In this scenario no single species dominates, and the food chain becomes complex and diverse, so that it is well buffered from fluctuations in individual fish populations. The bad news is, we’re not there yet. The good news is there are plenty of
Professionals change lives, turn to soup for a livelihood
When Edward and Jemaine Luchetti had to choose whether Maine would be a better place to raise children than Los Angeles, the decision was easy. Figuring out how to make a living here took a bit more thought. But, really, what else would a trust officer/lawyer (Jemaine) who once worked in Hong Kong and a
Bait Barrel Kids and Other Maine Tales
High Adventure at an Early Age Unless you’re from Melrose (the author’s moniker for anyplace from away), Bait Barrel Kids and Other Maine Tales is an indispensable guide to the way life really should be. In this collection of first-person stories, Gary Anderson delivers tales of adventure and survival of a kid growing up in
A third Casco Bay island considers independence
Cliff Island resident Leo Carter said he first thought about secession when he saw on television that his island was not considering the idea. A supporter of secession on Peaks Island was being interviewed by a local television station. He said Peaks had approached Cliff about the two islands — both now part of the
Coming Home to Roost
What do Hurricane Katrina, the Jacobshavn Glacier and Saudi oil have in common? The answer is not a clever one line joke; but rather that they are all inter-related pieces of a deadly serious abrupt climate change problem that vast numbers of Americans and virtually all our leaders have chosen to ignore for decades. Now
Ellsworth Car Lot may be Future Waterfront Park
The city of Ellsworth moved a step closer toward revitalizing its waterfront this month by buying an option on a downtown shorefront parcel that recently housed a car dealership. If the city succeeds in purchasing the property, the lot would be converted into a public green space on the Union River. By paying $25,000 for
The End of Oil
Beyond Oil – The View from Hubbert’s Peak By Kenneth S. Deffeyes Hill and Wang, 2005, 202 pp. The End of Oil As recently as a few years ago, you could hold a gallon gasoline in one hand and a gallon of spring water in the other and still believe it was perfectly normal that
Four Guys and a Book
Sometimes, the planets just line up. The spare, front-page announcement in Maine’s newspapers on Sept. 19 that Ted Ames, Stonington fisherman and researcher, had been named a MacArthur Fellow for 2005 brought back memories of just such a lineup. The experience — and the result — were both extraordinary. Sometime in 1995, Ted Ames came
Global Warming and the Maine Coast
For decades now, scientists have warned that global warming will result in more frequent and powerful storms, and that rising seas will exacerbate the damage they cause. Unfortunately, it has taken Hurricane Katrina and the destruction of a major metropolitan area to really bring home to the public what that really means: the potential for