Originally published in the Harpswell Anchor “My great-great-grandfather’s boat blew into Cundy’s Harbor in a storm and he decided to stay.” That’s Rob Watson describing how his family ended up there back in the 1850s. The Watsons have run the general store in Cundy’s Harbor since Rob’s grandfather, who worked in the saltfish business, founded… Read more
It was another great week for our “This Week in Harpswell” photo project! Twenty-one photographers shared 132 images taken in October. Thank you to all who participated! Click here for more about the photo project. Read more
See below for video recordings of past webinars in our 2021 “Stories of Change” series. Rockweed Research from the Bottom up with Hannah Webber Click here to watch a webinar recording from October 26, 2021. Rockweed, Ascophyllum nodosum, covers much of the rocky intertidal in Maine; it is ecologically and economically important. This talk… Read more
Originally published in the Harpswell Anchor Harpswell has over 200 miles of coastline. From the long stretch of Harpswell Neck to the wiggly ins and outs of Quahog Bay, there is great variety. Some of the coast drops steeply off into the waters of Casco Bay, while other parts have gradual, shallow, intertidal transitions from… Read more
Originally published by the Harpswell Anchor A family’s decision to forgo a payday from developers and instead offer their Great Island woodlands to the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust at a $1.1 million discount stems from a commitment to conservation and a generational connection to the land. “Virgin pine forest and coastal land are no longer… Read more
Harpswell Heritage Land Trust’s Nature Day Camp ran uninterrupted for 22 years until Covid struck and the land trust made the difficult decision to cancel its camps in 2020. When the camp returned in 2021, it was to very high demand from families for outdoor fun and normalcy. The 2021 camp season was full of… Read more
It was a fantastic week for our photo project! Twenty-four photographers shared 107 pictures from all across Harpswell in August. Click here for more about the photo project. We hope you’ll participate in October! Read more
Originally published in the Harpswell Anchor Harpswell is a vibrant coastal community that is full of waterfront activity, culture and history. There is an amazing breadth of expertise and knowledge in the community that is worthy of being shared. To that end, a group of local organizations have come together to present a series of… Read more
By Melinda Small Nothing has been as satisfying as my trips to the dump (aka Harpswell Recycling Center and Transfer Station). Despite her sometimes gruesome masks, Donnette’s greeting was always welcoming. And once again, I had finished a task that is a grateful diversion from my isolation. At the Center, a very visible sign lists… Read more
The history of Maine, including Harpswell, is tied to the sea. Indigenous people are known to have harvested the bounty of the ocean for thousands of years. Their population was quite small and their technology was limited, so they had little impact on the resource. When Europeans first arrived on these shores, they were astonished… Read more