“In the ocean, the survival rate of lobsters is less than one out of one thousand,” said David Mills, whose lobster hatchery is part of his Mount Desert Oceanarium. “We’ve had some years of 15 to 20 percent survival.” That’s an achievement, but the story of Mills’s success started with years of failure as he
“Citizen scientists” would track water pollution
Friends of Casco Bay (FOCB) recently convened a group of stormwater researchers to brainstorm the feasibility of using volunteers as “citizen scientists” to collect stormwater samples. Water quality monitoring experts from Wisconsin, Alabama, Virginia, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts came to Maine at FOCB’s invitation on Aug. 3 to discuss how existing sampling protocols might
Perceptive Review
To the editor: Philip Conkling’s review of Twilight in the Desert – The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy by Matthew R. Simmons [WWF Aug. 05] is perceptive. Coming here since 1945 I am no stranger to Maine. We all have to realize that there is a bumpy road ahead for world oil
Frenchboro’s annual picnic draws a crowd
Frenchboro held its 43rd Annual Lobster Dinner on Aug. 13. As usual, the event attracted a large crowd, drawn by the enticing menu of Maine lobster, chicken salad, hot dogs, cole slaw, homemade pie, potato chips and soda. Proceeds of this traditional island event benefit the 116-year-old Outer Long Island Congregational Church.
Institute transfers six islands
The Island Institute, Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT), and Chewonki Foundation signed purchase and sale agreements on Aug. 11 to transfer the ownership of six coastal Maine islands from the Institute to the two other organizations. The islands — Hungry and Black in Muscongus Bay, Campbell Island off Deer Isle, Russ Island off Stonington, Crow
“Maine Women: Living on the Land”
Of the Land, Sea and Sky Two exhibitions at Rockland’s Farnsworth Art Museum feature Maine residents showcased in the places they call home. Lauren Shaw has photographed and mapped ten subjects and their communities in her installation, “Maine Women: Living on the Land.” Jamie Wyeth’s paintings document scenes of ravens and gulls familiar to him
High taxes, frustration over services drive Peaks secession movement
The Peaks Island secession movement is gaining momentum, with organizers collecting over 400 signatures by Aug. 12 on a petition to start the process. The Island Independence Committee (IIC) on Peaks wants to get 600 signatures before submitting the petition to Portland City Clerk’s office in September. The committee needs over 50 percent of Peaks
A Bond Issue for Working Waterfronts
This summer the Maine Legislature approved a $12 million bond package for The Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) program. Of that amount, $2 million is fixed specifically for keeping working waterfront lands in private ownership. “There was a strong bipartisan desire to do something in this area,” commented David Etnier, Maine’s Deputy Commissioner of Marine
Thieves of Mercy: A Novel of the Civil War at Sea
451 pages William Morrow $26.95 Naval Battles in the Age of Steam Over the past few years I have read and enjoyed James L. Nelson’s Revolution at Sea saga, a five-novel chronicle of the adventures of Captain Isaac Biddlecomb and his encounters with the British Navy. In Thieves of Mercy, a recent History Book Club
Jarring Juxtaposition
To the editor: As an island resident grappling with the lack of affordable housing I was struck by the placement of the article “Island groups meet to discuss affordable housing” in the July edition of The Working Waterfront. To the left of the article ran a real estate advertisement featuring island houses on the market