By Monique Coombs, Marine Resources Coordinator for the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association The Bluefin tuna fishery has long been a part of Harpswell’s heritage. The Casco Bay Tuna Club’s Bailey Island Fishing Tournament began in 1938. At almost 80 years old, it is the longest running fishing tournament on the East Coast (the first Bluefin… Read more
Otter Brook in autumn (Reed Coles photo) I just can’t help it, I’m not a hot weather kind of guy. Oh, I know, this year’s summer weather has been nothing short of amazing, unless you happen to be a farmer. Weeks on end of sunshine, few of those steamy days that remind you of Florida,… Read more
John Berry photo I have often wondered what it’s like to be the second most beautiful creature at a party (admittedly, I am well down the list looking up!). So imagine what a tree swallow feels like with all the fuss about Eastern bluebirds. Yes, bluebirds are just wonderful to look at, with a sunny… Read more
During the summer of 2016, Dave Brown became president of HHLT, taking over from Charlie Johnson, who stepped down after eight years leading the organization. Dave writes: “I first became aware of Harpswell’s special combination of forest and ocean as a teenager when my family came to visit the log cabin my grandparents built on… Read more
Articles and photographs by Jym St. Pierre On Saturday, August 20, 2016, we dipped the kayaks into the blue water of Mere Point Bay and paddled the short distance to Birch Island. The goal was to visit a property that Harpswell Heritage Land Trust is working to preserve. Casco Bay is a drowned landscape. After… Read more
The following very helpful information is from Tulle Frazer. She reported seeing Browntail moths laying eggs in late July. “I was out on one of my several daily rounds to kill Japanese beetles today, but was sidetracked by a more bothersome insect. I killed about 30 adult Browntail moths that I found laying eggs. I believe… Read more
By Monique Coombs, Seafood Program Director for the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association So, you want the freshest most local fish you can get, right? Well right now, I highly recommend looking around for some halibut. (Try Gurnet Trading in Brunswick or Cantrell’s Seafood in Topsham.) Just a few years ago halibut quotas were very low, meaning that… Read more
By Kara Douglas Published in the Harpswell Anchor, July 2016 Wild blueberry, gray birch, New England aster – you’ve seen them all, even if they don’t catch your eye upon first glance. In fact, they seem to blend in, are seemingly indistinguishable from the woods and meadows in which they grow. They, along with nearly… Read more
We all love to see colorful flowers and shrubs in our gardens at this time of year. Mary and I always look forward to our crab apple tree blossoming bright pink, followed by the lilacs with their heavenly scent and tiny drops of sweet nectar. The planting of such species, and many other flowering plants… Read more
By Walter Wuthmann HARPSWELL — A dozen Harpswell Community School students went crashing through grass and water, unleashed by the end of the school day and a salt marsh. It was a warm afternoon June 6, and the great blue heron the kids were trying to trap was definitely not going to show up while they… Read more