http://www.workingwaterfront.com Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:52:50 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/images/ww_banner_bg.png http://www.workingwaterfront.com http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Vinalhaven-and-Spruce-Head-lobstermen-benefit-from-working-waterfront-program/13722/ All Maine lobstermen are facing big challenges: new rope requirements intended to reduce risk to North Atlantic Right Whales put a financial strain on lobstermen at the same time that lobster prices plummeted; herring quota cuts threaten to cause bait shortages and cost increases; and development and rising land values are squeezing out traditional working waterfront uses. But members of the Vinalhaven Lobstermen's Co-operative are taking these challenges head on. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Hanna Wheeler) Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Vinalhaven-and-Spruce-Head-lobstermen-benefit-from-working-waterfront-program/13722/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Field-Notes-Housing-policies-on-an-island-scale/13706/ The building I am looking at on Vinalhaven is a nondescript, large two-story structure that used to function as an island store. Having just arrived after a quick walk up the hill from "down street," I am a stones' throw from the historical society, the Arts and Recreation Center and its Cafe, and beyond I can see the recently restored town offices and Carvers Pond. It would be a good place to rent an apartment for a young family who needs to be close to everything. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Rob Snyder) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Field-Notes-Housing-policies-on-an-island-scale/13706/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Objects-in-Mirror-Gauchos-in-the-Beagle-Channel/13707/ Last week this column described a sailing voyage from Tierra del Fuego to Cape Horn and through the Beagle Cannel I took with four old (emphasis added) friends. In addition to the rigorous sailing, the graceful seabirds and majestic scenery, we spent a day and a half at an estancia (the Spanish for ranch) at the head of a fjord called Yendegia. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Philip Conkling) Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Objects-in-Mirror-Gauchos-in-the-Beagle-Channel/13707/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Beyond-power-Will-offshore-wind-development-bring-jobs/13695/ State legislators and industry advocates have been heralding the coming benefits of offshore wind development: it will reduce Maine's costly addiction to imported fossil fuels, lower the state's ecological footprint, and provided a much-needed stimulus to the state's struggling economy. According to Dr. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Suzanne Pude and Gillian Garratt-Reed) Wed, 03 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Beyond-power-Will-offshore-wind-development-bring-jobs/13695/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Fathoming-What-we-know-about-rockweed/13684/ In the last several years, Acadian Seaplants Limited, a company based in Canada, has expanded their rockweed harvesting operations into Maine, stimulating new regulations from Maine's Department of Marine Resources and raising old and new questions about the potential impacts of commercial-scale harvesting. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Dr. Heather Deese and Catherine Schmitt) Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Fathoming-What-we-know-about-rockweed/13684/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/columns/Islands-can-help-fight-global-warming/13683/ The larger international community needs to take coordinated responsibility for monitoring and mediating problems caused by global warming.  Individuals can accelerate efforts to prepare for climate change. On the islands, that includes community organizing. Environmentally, that includes protecting sea grass, restricting fertilizer use, green building and redesigning infrastructure at shorelines to account for habitat migration. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Aviva Rahmani) Mon, 22 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/columns/Islands-can-help-fight-global-warming/13683/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/As-electric-co-op-conducts-sound-experiment-Vinalhaven-residents-debate-solution-to-turbine-noise-issue/13674/ On February 1, the Fox Islands Electric Cooperative, Inc. began an experiment in which the three 1.5 megawatt General Electric wind turbines on Vinalhaven will be randomly slowed down at night for one month. On January 29, the co-op's board of directors sent letters to 38 households located within a half-mile of the 388-foot tall turbines. About half of those are seasonal homes, according to Chip Farrington, the co-op's general manager. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by David Tyler) Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/As-electric-co-op-conducts-sound-experiment-Vinalhaven-residents-debate-solution-to-turbine-noise-issue/13674/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/columns/Venturing-Techno-kids/13637/ The maritime world was once known for its salty knowledge, passed down through the generations. Old sailors taught younger ones how to tie knots, about the mysteries of dead reckoning, ways to find where you are in the fog, how to predict the weather. There's loads of lore about sailing, navigating, safety, maintenance-all, in the past at least, handed down from the more experienced to the less so. Father-to-son stuff; traditional knowledge best learned by paying attention. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by David D. Platt) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/columns/Venturing-Techno-kids/13637/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/reviews/Fatal-Journey-The-final-Expedition-of-Henry-Hudson/13642/ Basic Books, 2009 Hardcover, 288 pages, $26.95 A poignant tale of a tragic voyage"Like the needle of a compass, Henry Hudson was always attracted by the North."  With these words, Peter Mancall introduces us to the 17th century world of the English explorer Henry Hudson.  Before proceeding, I would like to say it is a rewarding feeling when a former student (I was his history teacher in high school) achieves prominence as a scholar and author. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Harry Gratwick) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/reviews/Fatal-Journey-The-final-Expedition-of-Henry-Hudson/13642/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/More-focus-on-networking-at-annual-fishermens-forum/13660/ Things are changing at the Maine Fishermen's Forum this year. Not only has the schedule changed, condensing the bulk of events to the first Friday and Saturday in March, there will be changes to the content as well. The forum will be held March 4-6 at the Samoset Resort. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Gillian Garratt-Reed ) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/More-focus-on-networking-at-annual-fishermens-forum/13660/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Workers-management-at-odds-at-Milbridge-nursing-home/13647/ Health care workers and management of the Narraguagus Bay Health Care Facility in Milbridge will meet on January 12 to try and diffuse a simmering labor dispute, but tensions have grown between the two sides in recent months. Workers at the nursing home have been operating without a contract since 2008, and they contend management stopped honoring the old contract when automatic pay hikes for long-time employees were frozen earlier last year. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Craig Idlebrook) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Workers-management-at-odds-at-Milbridge-nursing-home/13647/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/By-taking-test-you-can-help-broadband-mapping-project/13669/ Maine residents have a chance to shape the future development of broadband service, according to a press release.The U.S. Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NITA) on January 12 awarded the ConnectME Authority about $1.3 million for broadband data collection and mapping over a two-year period and almost $440,000 for broadband planning over a five-year period. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Staff Writer) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/By-taking-test-you-can-help-broadband-mapping-project/13669/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Winter-on-Chebeague-means-skating-at-Sanfords-Pond/13661/ To most people, winter in Maine means sub-zero temperatures, shoveling driveways and being cooped up in the house for days on end. To the kids of Chebeague Island, winter means sledding on Thompson's hill, a little snowmobiling and, most importantly, skating on Sanford's Pond. For nearly three decades, the pond has been a part of winter life on Chebeague. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Anna Maine) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Winter-on-Chebeague-means-skating-at-Sanfords-Pond/13661/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/columns/Parallel-44-With-taxpayer-help-science-spreads-on-the-Portland-waterfront/13643/ In Maine's largest city, the waterfront has seen some hard times. The fish processing plants are gone, the fishing industry is a shadow of its former self, and the Portland Fish Exchange recently leased out part of its refrigerated hall because it just doesn't need the space. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Colin Woodard) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/columns/Parallel-44-With-taxpayer-help-science-spreads-on-the-Portland-waterfront/13643/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Inactive-Matinicus-Rock-weather-station-to-be-fixed/13662/ For years, Penobscot Bay fishermen and other boaters have relied on a government-run weather monitoring station at Matinicus Rock. It spewed out data available via Internet on any home computer, and many lobstermen checked it before heading out to sea or, depending on conditions, deciding to stay home. Last year, the station went off line. Now the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has indicated a temporary station will be operating by March 31. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Steve Cartwright) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Inactive-Matinicus-Rock-weather-station-to-be-fixed/13662/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Performance-center-brings-entire-community-together/13658/ When Suzy Shepard, Stonington hair stylist and fisherman's wife and mother came to the first tryout for Fiddler On The Roof back in 2000, she never planned to try out for a part. Shepard saw the ad in the local paper, Island Ad-Vantages, and was curious because she knew the story of the musical. "I hadn't been in a school play since 6th grade and thought, ‘I'll sit in the back row and watch.'" She came in, sat down, and saw some people she knew and some she didn't. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Sandra Dinsmore) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Performance-center-brings-entire-community-together/13658/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Providing-housing-and-loans-to-Isle-au-Haut-residents-for-20-years/13657/ When a young islander came to Isle au Haut in the late 1980s, he became worried about the island's future. "When I moved to the island in late 1988 the community had 35 year-round residents and one kid in school," recalls Matthew Skolnikoff, one of the founders of the Island Community Development Corporation (ICDC), and the organizations' chairman and administrator for the past 20 years. "There was a real fear that the community would die. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Kate Taylor) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Providing-housing-and-loans-to-Isle-au-Haut-residents-for-20-years/13657/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Navigation-system-to-be-turned-off-what-will-be-GPS-back-up/13656/ In early January, the Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security announced that after February 8, Loran-C would be turned off and unavailable for navigation. The next day, Canada announced that its Loran-C system would be shut down by October 1. What have we lost? Not much on the local scale, but possibly a lot on the large scale. Prudent navigators and thoughtful planners understand the value of complementary backups for critical systems. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Erno Bonebakker) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Navigation-system-to-be-turned-off-what-will-be-GPS-back-up/13656/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/columns/For-Matinicus-students-leaving-home-comes-early/13655/ From the time they are big enough to ride a wobbly bicycle a quarter of a mile until they are, in some cases, capable of running a boat to the mainland, Matinicus kids assemble daily in their one schoolroom. Preschoolers look forward to it. Students learning the alphabet work beside teens working on algebra and chemistry. Children study with their siblings, their cousins, their neighbors, their babysitters. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Eva Murray) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/columns/For-Matinicus-students-leaving-home-comes-early/13655/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Challenges-of-island-government-appeal-to-new-town-manager/13652/ "I enjoy town administration because it's never boring and sometimes affords the opportunity to be innovative; that could be particularly true here," says Islesboro's new Town Manager Jeffrey Grossman.  When asked what attracted him to the position in Islesboro, Grossman replies, "I liked the thought that some problems which might be solved simply in other places will have a different dimension on an island; more of a challenge. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Maggy Aston) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Challenges-of-island-government-appeal-to-new-town-manager/13652/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Cranberry-Isles-residents-consider-paying-for-more-winter-ferry-runs/13650/ For over 50 years, the town of Cranberry Isles has depended on one ferry service provider to bring the mail, transport residents to medical appointments, and be their dependable, year-round connection to the mainland. At the March Town Meeting, the town will be seeking funds from voters to subsidize a second morning and evening commuter service that is intended to address the continuing challenge of maintaining a year-round community. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Cherie Galyean) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Cranberry-Isles-residents-consider-paying-for-more-winter-ferry-runs/13650/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Vinalhaven-students-explore-ethics/13649/ Most high school students will tell you they are not thrilled to go back to school after Christmas vacation. This year the Vinalhaven High School staff found a way to ease back into the swing of things by holding a week-long exploration of ethics. Ethics Week ran January 4-8 and included a viewing of the movie "Hotel Rwanda," a two-day residency by artist Robert Shetterly and art projects, among other things. Regular classes did not meet during Ethics Week. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Kris Osgood) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Vinalhaven-students-explore-ethics/13649/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Container-service-returns-to-Portland/13648/ In late November stacks of 40-foot long containers started reappearing at the International Marine cargo terminal on Commercial Street in Portland. On December 1, the barge Columbia Charleston was loading containers of wood pulp bound to the Port of New York and New Jersey for onward transshipment to destinations around the world. The barge service had been suspended since September 2008, but resumed as the global pulp market shifts to favor the sale of U.S. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Erno Bonebakker) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Container-service-returns-to-Portland/13648/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/columns/Journal-of-an-Island-Kitchen-Growing-endives-in-the-bathroom/13641/ What a show-off stunt it is to grow endive. Practically a parlor trick. Of course, you expect people like four-season growing experts Elliot Coleman and Barbara Damrosch in Harborside to go around growing endive. Or maybe the Belgians when they are not brewing beer or raising horses. But we do it, too, as our endive makes its lengthy trip from seed to plant to big fat root to the cellar then to the bathroom closet then finally the kitchen and dinner table. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Sandy Oliver) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/columns/Journal-of-an-Island-Kitchen-Growing-endives-in-the-bathroom/13641/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/columns/The-ABCs-of-a-Cranberry-Winter/13640/ At the height of the busy summer season, there are hundreds of daily visitors to the Cranberry Isles, along with hundreds more who own or rent houses to stay for their favorite vacation of the year. We are inundated with faces we don't know, and frazzled by trying to catch up with all of the people we do know because they are only here for a week or two. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Barbara Fernald) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/columns/The-ABCs-of-a-Cranberry-Winter/13640/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Yarmouth-mayor-campaigns-to-restore-CAT-ferry/13638/ Without financial help from the Canadian government, the High-speed ferry, The CAT, will not be providing service between Maine and Nova Scotia this summer. And there's a possibility that a monohull will make the crossing in 2011-if the mayor Of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia gets his wish. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Bob Gustafson) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Yarmouth-mayor-campaigns-to-restore-CAT-ferry/13638/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Milbridge-workforce-housing-proposal-tangled-up-in-lawsuits/13651/ The town of Milbridge faces two lawsuits and a possible federal complaint over its handling of an application to build low-income workforce housing. In July 2009, Mano en Mano, a nonprofit that wishes to build the workforce housing, filed suit against the town, alleging officials there illegally discriminated against the group by blocking and delaying the project for over a year. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Craig Idlebrook) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Milbridge-workforce-housing-proposal-tangled-up-in-lawsuits/13651/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/North-Havens-entire-high-school-class-takes-part-in-drama-festival/13639/ Although the islands appear quiet this time of year—summer houses drained and closed up, fields frozen, seasonal businesses closed—for North Haven Community School students, winter is the busy season. Between basketball, major research projects, yearbook preparation and homework, the school’s 17 high school students sometimes feel stretched pretty thin. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Lisa Shields) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/North-Havens-entire-high-school-class-takes-part-in-drama-festival/13639/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Fathoming-What-are-the-marine-impacts-of-offshore-wind-turbines/13667/ Editor's note: We're introducing a new feature called Fathoming. These articles will explore scientific topics pertinent to Maine's coastal waters. The articles are made possible, in part, by funds from Maine Sea Grant. Today there aren't any wind turbines off Maine's coast, but there may be in the next few years.  Maine is actively pursuing ocean wind energy, as are other states, and European nations have already installed over 700 offshore turbines. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Dr. Heather Deese and Catherine Schmitt) Fri, 29 Jan 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Fathoming-What-are-the-marine-impacts-of-offshore-wind-turbines/13667/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Local-family-are-new-owners-of-Chebeague-Island-Inn/13645/ Editor's note: In an earlier version of this story, Working Waterfront incorrectly attributed quotes about how the inn is part of the fabric of the Chebeague Island to School Board Member Beverly Johnson. We apologize for the error. The Chebeague Island Inn has new owners and news of the sale was announced on Facebook. The inn's Facebook page did not reveal the identity of the buyers, as of mid-January. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Craig Idlebrook) Wed, 20 Jan 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Local-family-are-new-owners-of-Chebeague-Island-Inn/13645/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Featured-island-car-1978-Ford-F150-Custom/13636/ Vehicle: 1978 Ford F150 Custom  Island: Vinalhaven Owner: Josh Turner Mileage: 150,210 "This was my first vehicle, which I bought from Jim Conlan for $1,500. The original owner was Spencer Fuller, who (as I've just found out) won the truck in a raffle," writes Josh Turner, of Vinalhaven. "The suspension is completely gone so every bump in the road makes the whole truck shake and rattle. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Staff Writer) Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Featured-island-car-1978-Ford-F150-Custom/13636/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Aerial-photography-a-big-step-forward-in-trap-density-experiment/13602/ When Carl Wilson, Maine's chief lobster biologist, first came to Tenants Harbor looking for lobsterman to volunteer for a trap density experiment, it looked like he'd have to turn right back around empty-handed. "After the first meeting, it seemed there wasn't much chance that it would happen at all," said Josh Miller, a 33-year old Tenants Harbor lobsterman and volunteer with the project. "By the end, we got a bunch of guys together to rally and get it done. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Gillian Garratt-Reed and Hanna Wheeler) Mon, 04 Jan 2010 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Aerial-photography-a-big-step-forward-in-trap-density-experiment/13602/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Pioneering-girls-only-leadership-and-science-school-opens-doors/13596/ A crisp coat of snow blankets a broad pasture along the Wolfe's Neck peninsula in Freeport, Maine. This is the view from the second floor window of a 1840s farmhouse converted to house a new, residential semester school, Coastal Studies for Girls. Just over the rise, not visible but only a short walk away, is Casco Bay. You can smell the salt air. In the long, light-filled room, dorm beds await their occupants. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by Nancy Heiser) Tue, 22 Dec 2009 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/articles/Pioneering-girls-only-leadership-and-science-school-opens-doors/13596/ http://www.workingwaterfront.com/reviews/Maine-101-Everything-You-Wanted-to-Ask-About-Maine-and-Were-Going-to-Ask-Anyway/13569/ MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc., 2009 $252 pages, $14.95 A Maine refresher course Do you know what "jeezly" means? If you don't, you can find out in Nancy Griffin's Maine 101: Everything You Wanted to Ask About Maine and Were Going to Ask Anyway. This witty, fun book is packed with statistics and facts, but it also has the kind of information that you usually can only get from locals. (Full disclosure: Griffin is a freelance writer for Working Waterfront. ... info@workingwaterfront.org (by David A. Tyler) Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:00:00 +0100 http://www.workingwaterfront.com/reviews/Maine-101-Everything-You-Wanted-to-Ask-About-Maine-and-Were-Going-to-Ask-Anyway/13569/