April is an itchy time of year for islanders. Fishermen are itching to get traps overboard, gardeners are itching to get in the dirt, and kids are itching to get out of school. As the relatively novice sport of rowing continues to grow on the Maine Coast, members of the Vinalhaven Rowing Club found themselves
Turtles and an Island’s Future
It was March and in the high 80s with a searing sun as palm trees waved along a white sandy beach, lapped by turquoise water. No mistaking that for Vinalhaven. Yet we were reminded of Vinalhaven as we visited the two smaller islands off Puerto Rico’s northeast corner, Culebra and Vieques. Culebra is the same
Destroying to Save?
The administration of Washington County Community College announced recently it was suspending its Eastport boatbuilding program. The suspension, said the college president, “is a positive step that will reinvigorate the program.” Reinvigorating it would certainly be a good idea. Whether shutting down the program will accomplish that goal is unclear. College officials cited declining enrollment
Parallel 44: Does Aquaculture’s Future Lie Offshore?
The salmon aquaculture industry in Maine and New Brunswick has been buffeted by environmental, economic and legal challenges in recent years. Things are not likely to get any easier, given some of the ongoing developments in ocean fish farming elsewhere in the world. According to Leroy Creswell, an aquaculture researcher at the University of Florida
Tax Cap
The tax cap that’s headed for a referendum ballot later this year would push homeowners’ valuations back to 1996 and cap property taxes at one percent of those values. Because Maine relies so heavily on property taxes, a cap would necessitate one of two things: drastic cuts in services at the state and local level,
Author’s Query
To the editor: I am researching Virgil Geddes, a former resident of Atlantic. He and his wife, the painter Minna Besser Geddes, lived in a converted schoolhouse, which is now the Swan’s Island library. Geddes was born in Nebraska in 1897, served in the Navy during WWI, then worked for newspapers in Chicago and Paris
Down to the Metal: War on Terror Forces Tough Coast Guard Budget Choices
Down at the Bollinger Shipyard in Lockport, Louisiana, the U.S. Coast Guard recently set about lengthening an old 110-foot cutter, The MATAGORDA, by an additional 13 feet. The better to accommodate a small, stern-launching boat, the Coast Guard thought – and that little boat needs to zoom around faster and more safely, now that the
Timely Topics
To the editor: Your publications are excellent! The writing is very good, and your topics very timely. Our granddaughter has given us Island Journal as a gift from their island home on Monhegan – Tralice Peck, wife of Robert Bracey, a lobsterman. They work to preserve the culture, beauty and riches of this place. Edward
Telemedicine Improves Monhegan’s Emergency Services
Monhegan is just not a great place to get sick or hurt, especially in the winter. Located about ten miles out to sea south of Port Clyde, there are only three scheduled boats a week in the off-season to the mainland (weather permitting) and the relatively small population does not have a full time doctor
Yum — Good!
To the editor: I just finished reading Randy Purinton’s article on razor clams [WWF March 2004]. Twenty-five years ago, living on Cape Cod where I did much shellfishing, I dug into a mess of razor clams. Folks said they were okay to eat but no one ever did. I took home about a dozen with