Maine’s Land Trusts now Eligible to Hold Working Waterfront Protection Covenants By Rich Knox at the Island Institute A bill sponsored by Representative Morgan Rielly of Westbrook (LD 574: An Act to Amend the Laws Governing Working Waterfront Covenants) has been signed into law—greatly expanding opportunities for protecting Maine’s remaining working waterfronts. “Maine’s fishing industry accounts… Read more
Originally published in the Harpswell Anchor. A new guide to the Harpswell waterfront aims to educate both current residents and newcomers about the community they share. “Scuttlebutt: How to Live & Work in a Waterfront Community” is a collaborative effort among the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, Cundy’s Harbor Library, Harpswell Anchor, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust… Read more
Several local organizations collaborate to educate Harpswell residents about the working waterfront and open up lines of communication between fishermen and their non-fishermen neighbors. Outcomes of this fruitful collaboration include panel discussions, written articles published in the Harpswell Anchor, and a new guide about living and working near the ocean. Recordings of the panel discussions… Read more
Etiquette is more than a fancy French word. It translates as “ticket” — a ticket for those who want to coexist with others in an appropriate way. This can apply to many scenarios, including how to operate safely and respectfully on the water. For community members interested in learning more about this topic, it involved a… Read more
Son-in-law Pete chuckled with delight as he pulled up his fishing line which had a life of its own with several squirming mackerel attached to it. His line was rigged with a collection of 7 small flies in what is known as a Sabiki rig. If you position yourself on a local dock with a… Read more
Originally published in the Harpswell Anchor What is access? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, access is “permission, liberty, or ability to enter, approach, or pass to and from a place or to approach or communicate with a person or thing.” Two words jump out of this definition — people and place. Both of these themes featured… Read more
I write this in mid-April, a time when the bays and harbors are coming alive once more. For those of you new to the area, Harpswell reaches into Casco Bay with its 216 miles of shoreline, creating harbors and coves from Harpswell Neck to Cundy’s Harbor. We have commercial wharves scattered along our shorefront. In… Read more
By Susan Olcott, originally published in the Harpswell Anchor As spring is upon us and people are getting back onto the water, there are many things to learn from people who utilize Harpswell’s waterfront in a variety of ways. Last fall, five organizations came together to present two panel discussions about topics related to the… Read more
Originally published in the Press Herald Last weekend spring officially arrived. While it doesn’t often feel like spring when the calendar officially says it begins, this year was an exception. Not only did the sun cross the celestial equator, dividing the sky from south to north on the vernal equinox, but it was actually warm… Read more
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