The Working Waterfront - August 2020

News of Maine’s Coast and Islands

THE WORKING

volume 34, № 6

published by the island institute

Lubec and Campobello suffer from border closure

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august 2020 n free circulation: 50,000

workingwaterfront.com

A bird’s eye view of history—

Canadian island’s vehicle link is through Maine

By Tom Walsh

S

ix months of very limited access to and from Campobello Island in New Brunswick and Lubec in Maine are having real impacts on real people on both sides of the FDR Bridge.

“In the beginning, it was really hard for me emotionally, and I was really depressed. Not going crazy, just stressed,” says Carrie Farmer, 40, now a Lubec resident whose parents, sisters, and other extended family live on Campobello Island. That’s where Farmer grew up before first moving to Lubec at age 21. “I have a house over there, and I’m a Canadian citizen, but not a Canadian resident. If I were to stay there, I would have to quarantine for 14 days.” continued on page 4

The 1774 Inn in Phippsburg, visible at the left of the image, played a role in Maine becoming a state, as it was home to Mark Hill, one of seven delegates to Congress from the District of Maine, and one of two who voted for the Missouri Compromise. Read part II of our history road trip inside. PHOTO: MICHELE STAPLETON

Lobster industry in ‘the fight of its life,’ say panelists Pandemic, right whale court cases, and trade wars mean hard times

By Laurie Schreiber

T

he outlook for Maine’s lobster industry for 2020, and likely beyond, is murky at best.

That was the assessment by industry leaders during a panel discussion hosted June 24 by the Island Institute.

Called “Let’s Talk Lobster: Challenges and Opportunities of a Core Maine Industry,” the session addressed impacts of the pandemic and the ensuing market crash, which exacerbated an already difficult situation posed by a trade war with China, competition with Canada for the European Union market, and

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“We don’t have a home for a lot of pending lawsuits that pit preservation of the endangered North Atlantic right our product,” he said.

Many harvesters aren’t whale against the fishfishing, he said. As a ery’s traditional harvest whole, he noted, the methods. industry might strategize “I don’t think we’ve “We don’t have a by agreeing to limit catch ever had challenges like we’re facing now,” said home for a lot of for now. But “agreement” is a tricky proposition for David Cousens, a South our product.” the state’s 3,000 indepenThomaston lobsterman dent-minded harvesters, and former president of —DAVE COUSENS he said. the Maine Lobstermen’s “There’s little to no Association. consensus on anything, “Maine’s lobster because everyone operfishery is in the fight of its life right now,” said Maine ates in a different way,” agreed Maine Lobstermen’s Association Executive Lobster Dealers Association Executive Director Annie Tselikis.

Director Patrice McCarron.

The pandemic generated increased High volumes of lobster historically wholesale to food service buyers that demand in the supermarket and retail include the cruise ship, restaurant, sectors as American transitioned to hotel, and casino industries. Markets in working at home, she noted.

“But it’s not enough for the amount of Asia and Europe had been trending up.

But with the pandemic, markets product we harvest in Maine,” she said.

The industry already faced challenges evaporated and prices plummeted to half their usual level, Cousens said. continued on page 6

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The Working Waterfront . August 2020

Fort Edgecomb in Edgecomb. PHOTO: MICHELE STAPLETON

Maine’s colorful history, steeped in conflict and betrayal

Brunswick, Edgecomb, Warren, Phippsburg, and Eastport hosted pivotal moments

By Stephanie Bouchard THIS IS THE second of our two-part trail map of historical moments and places on Maine’s journey to achieving statehood in 1820. This series covering 1700 to 1820 is just a smidgen of the history of Maine, which really begins about 13,000 years ago with the native Wabanakis.

Let our 10-location trail map be just the starting place to dive into the state’s fascinating stories and heritage.

Many museums, historical societies, and of course, the state’s bicentennial committee had wonderful events planned for this bicentennial year, and while many of those have been cancelled or postponed, you can still access their resources. Check these out: • Maine’s Bicentennial Committee, which provides updates to statewide bicentennial event schedules: www.maine200.org • Maine State Museum’s exhibit, “Regional Struggle—National Story: Maine’s Path to Statehood”: www.mainestatemuseum.org/ exhibit/regional-struggle • Maine Historical Society’s Bicentennial website: www.mainememory.net/bicentennial • Maine Historic Preservation Commission’s “Present at Statehood,” an online exhibit featuring historic properties in Maine listed on the National Register of Historic Places that were in existence as of 1820: www.maine.gov/mhpc

• Maine State Archives Bicentennial Projects page includes virtual reality videos of some of Maine’s notable places, such as the state house and the Old Orchard Beach pier: www.maine.gov/sos/arc/bicentennialmsa.html 1. P eterborough (Peterboro) Cemetery, Warren

As mentioned in the first part of this series, many former Revolutionary War soldiers moved to the District of Maine after the war to seek their livelihoods. Among those former soldiers was Amos Peters, born around 1737 in Plymouth, Mass. Of African and Wampanoag Indian ancestry, Peters enlisted in the Continental Army for the first time in 1776.

At some point during his service, he encountered General Henry Knox, who, after the war, gave, for reasons unknown today, 150 acres of land near South Pond in Warren to Peters, said Kate McMahon, whose master’s thesis at the University of Southern Maine was on the African-American community of Peterborough.

Peters married an African woman named Sarah, who had been kidnapped from her native Guinea and sold by a ship captain from Damariscotta to the McIntyre family of Warren. In 1784, while living as a slave to the McIntyre family, Sarah learned, through word of mouth, that a series of court cases in Boston which concluded in 1783 deemed slavery illegal in all of Massachusetts, including the District of Maine. For a dollar, she hired a local lawyer to help her gain her freedom.

Together, Amos and Sarah Peters and their extended family founded the community of Peterborough. They carved out what became a multiracial enclave that was integral to building the Midcoast’s physical infrastructure and its economy by owning and farming the land, working in the maritime trades as ship builders, seamen, and coopers, and helped build in the area, including Knox’s mansion, Montpelier, said McMahon, who currently works as a museum specialist at the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for the Study of Global Slavery that’s part of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Theirs is a story of self-determination and community building, she said.

“They were revolutionary thinkers, especially Amos and Sarah,” she said.

“They were just powerful figures of what statehood could mean.”

The last of Peterborough’s residents left in the 1950s, but numerous descendants of Amos and Sarah Peters live in the region, and far beyond, today.

Visit: From Route 1, turn onto Sandy Shores Road. By the Sandy Shores RV Resort, take a slight left onto Bunker Hill Road. About a half mile down the road, you’ll see a sign for the cemetery on the left (across the street is a large rock with an American flag painted on it). Park the car on the road and walk the path to the cemetery.

2. Fort Edgecomb, Edgecomb

Through the first decade of the 1800s, not much headway was made to separate Maine from Massachusetts,

partly because everyone was preoccupied with the effects of the Embargo Act of 1807, followed by the War of 1812.

In 1807, Britain and France were at war with each other (again) but the U.S. was neutral. However, Britain and France egregiously violated the U.S.’s neutrality by seizing the cargo of U.S. merchant ships (among other outrages).

Such actions were infuriating and something had to be done, so Congress passed the Embargo Act at the end of 1807, which made exports from the U.S. illegal.

It didn’t do squat to rein in the misbehavior of Britain and France.

What it did do was crush the economy of Maine, which depended heavily on export trade with other countries.

Mainers were not happy with this turn of events.

“People want to believe in their government and they want to toe the line, but if the kids are screaming from hunger how long can you keep that up?” said Joshua Smith, a maritime historian (who got his PhD at the University of Maine in Orono) and author of Borderland Smuggling: Patriots, Loyalists, and Illicit Trade in the Northeast, 1783-1820 and Blockhouse and Battery: A History of Fort Edgecomb.

Mainers began by protesting in a reasonable manner, first by logging legal petitions with the courts in Massachusetts, but soon enough, frustrated and desperate people were shouting in town meetings for secession and some resorted to outright defiance with violence and smuggling.

www.workingwaterfront.com .. August 2020 www.workingwaterfront.com April 2020

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The First Parish Church, Brunswick. PHOTO: MICHELE STAPLETON

In order to curb the smuggling, the federal government erected so-called embargo forts at a number of locations along the coast, including at Edgecomb. The government told Mainers the forts were there to protect the coastal communities from British attack, Smith explained in an article he wrote on embargo forts for the scholarly publication, Maine History, but Mainers didn’t buy that explanation.

Fifteen months later, the Embargo Act was revoked. For many in Maine, however, the damage had been done, and they hardly had time to catch their breath before the country was plunged into war with Britain in 1812.

Visit: 66 Fort Road, Edgecomb. The octagonal fort on Davis Island is a state historic site subject to park admission fees. Go to the state’s Bureau of Parks and Lands website to get info about park visitation: www.maine.gov/dacf/ parks/about/index.shtml 3. The Todd House, Eastport

While Mainers had largely been “meh” on the idea of separating from Massachusetts, the War of 1812 flipped the switch for many people. That’s because Massachusetts screwed the district over in a big way.

In the summer of 1814, the British Gerald “Punkin” Lemoine captured the islands of Passamaquoddy

Bay and communities such as Castine and But, there was a pesky detail: Expectations were that the bill Eastport. Leadership in Maine turned to Massachusetts required a 55.5 percent would sail through. But no. Instead, Boston for support, but Boston balked. majority. The separationists did not Maine’s bid to become a state became Understandably, Mainers blew a have that and majority, but thatchat didn’t stop theentangled national debate John Martin, Bud Staples, Elsie Gillespie around woodstove with at the the annual town meeting. gasket over this betrayal. With outrage them. When they met in convention on expanding slavery to new states at Boston at an all-time high, Maine at the Congregational Meeting House joining the Union. leaders held a convention at the end (present-day First Parish Church) Debate in Congress was heated. A of 1814 to discuss separating from in Brunswick, some misbehavior compromise was offered: admit Maine Massachusetts, but then the war ended occurred, including some creative as a free state and Missouri as a slave and convention membership backed math, to magically achieve the needed state and prohibit slavery permanently off. However, the cause of separation majority. Separation opponents and in the unorganized territory of the had finally taken hold. leadership in Boston, however, weren’t Louisiana Purchase, north of latitude fooled, and once again, there would be 36 degrees and 30 minutes.

Visit: 1 Capen Ave., Eastport. Now a bed no statehood for Maine.

Maine’s congressional delegation and breakfast, the Todd House, built faced a quandary of epic proportions: around 1781, is thought to be the oldest Visit: 9 Cleaveland St., Brunswick. First vote against the expansion of slavery in home in Eastport and was occupied Parish is an active worship community. Missouri and pass up Maine’s chance

by British officers from 1814 to 1818, Go to www.firstparish.net for more at becoming a state or vote for Maine’s when Britain finally relinquished the information about opportunities for statehood and allow the continuation seaport. Go to toddhousemaine.com visiting. of slavery. for more information.

Ultimately, the Missouri Compromise 5. The 1774 Inn, Phippsburg passed in Congress, but when it came 4. First Parish Church, Brunswick After the 1816 debacle, William King to the final vote, five of Maine’s seven The District of Maine nearly achieved and his cohorts regrouped. King delegates voted against it. Maine separation from Massachusetts in 1816 lobbied leadership in Washington D.C. became the Union’s 23rd state on not once, but twice. The first time, to get the Coasting Law (a sticking March 15, 1820. in May, there were more votes for point for coastal communities) separation than against, but the vote changed. When that happened in 1819, Visit: 44 Parker Head Rd., Phippsburg. failed because not enough voters turned the separationists knew statehood was Mark Hill was one of the seven out so Massachusetts said it wasn’t clear in the bag. On July 26 of that year, delegates to Congress that fateful year, that a majority Levi of Mainers really wanted separation from Massachusetts passed and was one of the two who voted Moulden for the Missouri Compromise. His separation. Massachusetts, though, by a margin of 10,000 votes.

The district’s petition for admis- home in Phippsburg is now a bed and gave Maine a second chance, and in September, Mainers once again voted sion into the Union was submitted breakfast. Go to www.1774inn.com for Bud Staples to Congress on Dec. 8, 1819. more information. more for separation than against it.

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The Working Waterfront . August 2020

LUBEC AND CAMPOBELLO

continued from page 1

Since mid-March the U.S.-Canadian border crossing between New Brunswick’s Campobello Island and Downeast Maine’s Lubec has been more than less closed for the first time in 150 years. It’s a reality anchored in cross-border, public health concerns related to the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic.

“It’s caused a lot of frustration,” said Carol Dennison, who chairs Lubec’s select board. “I’m staring out my office window at Campobello but, except to access essential services,” such as food, medicine, medical appointments, and banking, “you can’t get there from here. You can’t go by water, and you can’t go by the bridge.”

The arched, 300-yard Franklin D. Roosevelt bridge that spans Lubec’s narrows within the Bay of Fundy was built in 1962 to connect the U.S. mainland to Campobello Island. For nearly 60 years it has provided the only vehicular access to and from the 15-square-mile island, which is home to fewer than 1,000 residents, about twice Lubec’s population. It is also home to Roosevelt Campobello International Park. Billed as New Brunswick’s top tourist attraction, the 2,800-acre complex jointly operated by “ You can’t go by water, and the U.S. and Canada usually attracts you can’t go by the bridge.” more than 100,000 visitors over the 20 weeks between mid-May and — C AROL DENNISON mid-October.

The meticulously landscaped park includes eight miles of carriage roads and another eight miles of seaside hiking trails that surround the carefully restored 34-room “cottage” where FDR, Eleanor Roosevelt, and their extended families spent their summers before and during the presidency.

No bridge then, requiring the Roosevelt entourage to arrive by boat after disembarking from the train station in nearby Eastport. While those two scenic trails remain open, the visitor center’s museum and guided cottage tours remain closed due to the ongoing virus crisis.

SO NEAR AND YET SO FAR

Carrie Farmer is expecting her third child. Due date, mid-September. She recently stopped working at Lubec’s IGA grocery store at the suggestion of her doctor. While her Campobello Island family comes through Lubec infrequently for essentials, face-to-face, cross-border visits have been forbidden.

The bridge linking Maine’s Lubec with Canada’s Campobello Island.

FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

“If my parents or sister were to be spotted parked at the end of my dead-end driveway, they would have to be quarantined,” Carrie said. “I wish there were exceptions for people with families in both places. I need all sorts of baby equipment and probably some of what I need I already have, on the island. I don’t want to spend money on things that my sisters and I might already have.”

Victor Trafford is an owner of Inn on the Wharf in Lubec, which offers guests a seaside restaurant, gift shop, and seasonal accommodations. For years now. the inn has also offered whale-watching trips into the Bay of Fundy and beyond.

“The COVID virus stopped us and others from offering whale watches,” Trafford said. “It’s like they drew a line, right along the center of the bay. Most of the whale sightings we’ve had were in Canadian waters, so that put us out of the whale watch business, which was a big draw, especially for people from other states or other countries. I think it’s a dangerous precedent.”

Trafford describes Lubec’s summer Main Street as a “ghost town” compared to previous seasonal retail traffic that was drawn to gift shops, galleries, and an eclectic assortment of places to eat and drink. “It’s a shame,” he said. “Some of the restaurants are two-thirds full. Others have closed. We do breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week, but we’ve had to make some adjustments. For indoor dining we had 50 seats, now 28,” he said.

“It’s tough,” he said. “Lubec is normally full of visitors in the summer, and now it’s empty. It’s a moving target, moving under the threat of being shut down.”

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www.workingwaterfront.com . August 2020

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cRanBeRRy RepoRt Kevin Waters, beloved

dies suddenly ing,pilot, painting lines, eating Waters rememberedrocks fondly, , and throwing

described ‘honorary islander’ down, islandersasmix prep work and gatherings

sford. izzas, busier e the ason. ortuiends rip to g was re so u did quesber at e submeetfloor!) e and h our Maine. oal of onsidn, but virustime to it.

I can

paint, “time e and

By Tom Groening

bright red with a black stripe) and, like every other lobster AND fisherman in Maine WHEN FERRIES private boats this winter, he read about, talked fail to deliver, islanders turned to about, Kevin and experimented with purple paint.

Waters and his company Penobscot The latest whale regulations require Island Air to get to the mainland or all Maine fishermen use new back home.lobster And after Waters’tountimely markings on the ropes they attach to death of a heart attack at age 62 on July lobster traps.

Depending on how close 5, islanders turned to each other to share to shore they fish, they will have add their grief.

Because Waters was to much 2-4 purple on each line. more than a marks lifeline—he was abuoy friend.

On warps that are 100-feet of orthe lessIsland there Peter Ralston, co-founder must be one 12-inch purple mark withInstitute, and a close friend of Waters, in a itfew fathoms the trap a 36said was Watersof alone who and could lay inch purple mark within 2 fathoms claim to the moniker “honorary islander.of ” the buoy.

If the warp is islanders longer that 100 “We connected when called feet, thethe requirement is forhad a 12-inch because previous owner cut-off purple mark nearislands the trap, 12service to the ata second Christmas inch”purple halfway to time, Ralstonmark remembered.

“I the metbuoy, with and a and 36-inch mark near the buoy.

Kevin, the Institute committed to Bruce figures he will be putting 1,500 helping him take over the air service. to 1,800plans markings his rope in all; two Those flewonon commitment, to three weeks of extra work if he does loyalty, and love for the islands. ” it without hiring help.

A number The two became good friends. of fishermen are applying paint good to their ropes “He was such a good, human by resting them“Iin longthe gutters being, ” he said. so 3-foot respected guy. made fromwas lengthwise-halved His heart bigger than the PVC bay.”pipe.

Bruce’s first attempt Penobscot Islandwas Airwith staffspray saidpaint the but he soon moved on to the more company would continue to serve effithe cient brush and latex paint. islands, “Because that is what Kevin Some fishermen will add a 3-foot would have wanted.”

In a short video that can be found on piece of purple to about the end the YouTube, Watersrope talks hisofbusibuoy or toggle, allbeing attachments ness, line saying it’s notbut like a “bus must madepeople with afrom splicehere or atotuck. driver,betaking there.

I know it’s a stretch to compare You become entwined. It’s the good,folthe lowing Maine whaleit’srope requirebad, it’s the weddings, the funerals… ments with a plein air workshop, These islanders do become family.” but a person could return home That sentiment was echoedfrom back eito ther andafter say his thatdeath, they’despecially been paintWaters on ing in media. their spare time. If Bruce were social writing an essayon on ahow he spentpage his Kate Griffin Facebook winter vacation, painting would be a devoted to Matinicus Island, wrote: part of it.

Another part would be the “We all loved Kevin. He held our description heardallhim tell his brother communityI and island communiMark about walking to get doughnuts, ties together. He made each and every in our son and oneFebruary, of us feel with special and heRobin, truly loved our and and Cora. whatgrandchildren he did. He wasHenry top notch oneI was with afriends in gold.

Portland, and of a away kind with heart of ” Stephanie friendspage in Deborahwas Rossaway on with the same Florida.

Father and son were in charge. asked: “How about a t-shirt or button “Yeah, we got doughnuts pins that says, ‘Be like Kevin.’” at The Cookie Jar and then the Kris Davidson, on awalked North to Haven beach for a picnic and to throw rocks.”

Facebook page, wrote: “Kevin was such Eating donuts a dear manhomemade who always went out ofand his throwing rocks at the beach—if way to help people.

Penobscot Airthat is a isn’t mirror image of was many childgift toa the islands and so Kevin. ” hood summersBeveridge on Islesford,described I don’t Norwood know is. wonderful q Waterswhat as “a guy, friendly and professional,” while Lindsey Barbara on Islesford BeverageFernald wrote,lives “Kevin always(Little went Cranberry Island) with her husband Bruce. out of his way to be helpful and he

m

bailed me out of a pinch more than once. He was an angel on earth...”

Craig Olson of Islesboro remembered Waters visiting the island to talk about the business, “and how he felt such an obligation to the island communities and how much they had enriched his life.” Olson was “struck by how very humble and positive he was.”

Klas D. Romberg on the Matinicus Facebook page wrote: “Kevin, I did not know at the time that our last handshake just a few short weeks ago was to be our last one. You are leaving a proud legacy of a rare achievement and the memory of benevolence in all who had the good fortune to be in contact with you.”

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, who lives on North Haven, issued a statement: “The passing of Kevin Waters… has hit everyone on the islands and in places far beyond like a gut punch.

Kevin is as close to a saint as people living on earth can approach and we all will feel his loss deeply.”

Pingree described him managing “a complex transportation service, often on a shoestring and with plenty of personal sacrifice. He rarely said no to anything anyone needed—from getting a critical part for a fishing boat engine to the island quickly, to making an emergency trip to the hospital in the middle of the night,” she wrote.

“We had a lot of conversations, too.

He always started with a sweet and friendly word, often coupled with real concern about how ‘you were holding up.’ It wasn’t unusual to be speaking with Kevin about a sticky issue and see his eyes well up and hear his voice crack—his passion and love for his business and the customers he served was so deep,” Pingree wrote.

“Now I am the one who feels choked up with tears in my eyes and I know I will be joined by many, many others.”

A celebration of Waters’ life will be held at Knox County Regional Airport, Down East Air Hangar, at 11 a.m., Sunday, July 19. All are welcome.

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The Working Waterfront . August 2020

A view inside Luke’s Lobster Shack in Tenant’s Harbor last summer. PHOTO: TOM GROENING

LOBSTER INDUSTRY

continued from page 1

due to trade tariffs imposed by the EU and China, giving Canada an advantage over the U.S. “We’ve struggled in some of our major markets,” Tselikis said.

Markets have opened elsewhere, including Singapore, South Korea, and Dubai, she said.

“But we see a number of challenges in this industry, both domestically and internationally,” she added.

The industry is not set up to survive structural changes that might be coming due to court cases on right whale protection measures, said McCarron.

MLA kicked off a $500,000 fundraising campaign for its legal defense fund (mainelobstermen.org) and is working with its legal team to represent the industry in the cases, underway in Washington, D.C.; Boston, Mass.; and Bangor. Two seek to prohibit the use of vertical lines. One found the federal government violated the Endangered Species Act when it permitted the fishery without filing an “Incidental Take Statement” on the fishery’s potential to harm right whales.

In June, Pew Charitable Trusts petitioned the U.S. Department of Commerce for lobster-fishing closures at certain times in certain areas off New England, to protect right whale migration and feeding grounds.

Maine’s fishery has implemented measures to protect right whales since 1997, including the removal of thousands of miles of line from the water, McCarron noted. Maine gear hasn’t been implicated in any right whale deaths; the sole documented entanglement with Maine gear occurred in 2002. The industry is willing to implement further modifications that are reasonable and help the whales, she added.

“It’s not an understatement to say the outcome of these cases could truly dismantle this fishery,” she said.

How U.S. became ‘a casualty in trade war’

By Annie Tselikis, Executive Director, Maine Lobster Dealers Association For those who watched or listened to the press conference President Trump held on June 5 with members of Maine’s commercial fishing industry, you likely heard a lot of tough talk on trade and tariffs on U.S. lobster exports. I would like to clarify a few of the statements made during the meeting.

The European Union assesses an eight percent tariff on live lobster and a 16 percent to 20 percent tariff on processed and frozen lobster products exported from the U.S. Those tariffs are on the product Homarus americanus.

American lobster exports are assessed that duty because the U.S. failed to complete the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the EU. TTIP negotiations started in 2013 and were halted in 2019. In 2017, Canada and the EU finalized the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) which gave it preferred nation status and immediately lifted the eight percent tariff on live lobster. The 16 percent to 20 percent tariff on value-added goods will eventually be eliminated as well (it has been reduced since CETA was implemented).

The reason Canada exports lobsters without a tariff is because it negotiated and completed CETA. The reason the U.S. still has tariffs on its lobsters is because we failed to complete TTIP. On June 1, 2018, the Maine Lobster Dealers’ Association met with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in Portland facilitated by the state’s congressional delegation. We addressed the severe market access issues we were experiencing in the EU—the value of our lobster exports had dropped 50 percent from the previous year. We were reading the writing on the wall with the evolving U.S.-China trade war, as several agricultural commodities had been listed in the tit-for-tat and thought it prudent to also discuss the importance of the China market for U.S. exporters.

Two weeks later, China instituted a 25 percent retaliatory tariff on lobster exports from the U.S. along with 200 other American seafood products. Our industry became a casualty in a trade war.

Tariffs do not come and go overnight. Many of us in the industry have been advocating for fair access to foreign markets for a long time. For tariffs to be reduced or eliminated, there is a process of negotiation and diplomacy set forth by the World Trade Organization—and each negotiating partner needs to be a willing and fair participant in that process.

As an industry, we hope the June 5 press conference means there is real interest in resolving these trade obstacles for Maine’s lobster industry. Lobster exports have played a critical role as lobster landings increased over the last ten years. We hope to regain access to these important markets and support this industry for many years to come.

WWW.WORKINGWATERFRONT.COM . August APRIL 2020 www.workingwaterfront.com 2020

Off shore is back in motion Casco Baywind Lines Regulators, developer explain process to fishermen votes to build hybrid ferry

By Tom Groening

Maine State Ferry T Service also looking at

he perception that Maine’s forays into offshore wind power have been on hold aren’t quite accurate, said Jake Ward of the University of Maine. Under the name New England Aqua Ventus I, the university is pursuing siting a floating wind turbine off Monhegan Island as a test for possible further development.

“Someone this morning said this is coming fast,” Ward saidWalsh of the university’s bid, speaking at a sesBy Tom sion of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum in Rockport on March 5. Incomplicated fact, he hasthan been involved in the t’s bit more putting pontoons pursuit of off shore wind power since 2007. on a Prius, but hybrid diesel/electric ferries “Th is not he deadpanned. had areison thecoming horizonfast,” for both the Maine “I State kids when this started.

Now I have grandkids.”

Ferry Service and the Casco Bay Island Transit Several years UMaine Authority, whichago, operates Cascohad Bay pursued—as Lines.

Maine AquaofVentus—siting floating wind The board directors of thetwo Casco Bay Island turbines off Monhegan to learn more about the Transit District voted June 25 to proceed with flthe oating technology and the potential to produce design and construction of a new boat to be electricity.

To that end,kWh a one-eighth sized propulfloating equipped with a 900 diesel/electric turbine was deployed off Castine in 2013, and has sion system instead of a conventional diesel system. since been retrieved.

Both ferry systems are evaluating how to best Ward their said aging the project operating as New replace fleets is of now passenger and vehicle England Aqua Ventus, and is seeking to site a sinferries, and considering the benefits of hybrid gle, 6-megawatt floating turbine. year, the vessels, which are engineered to Late lowerlast operating federal Department of Energy awarded the projcosts and reduce environmental impact. ectThe $1.4 million for design, and the Maine Public Maine Department of Transportation’s ferry Utilities Commission to approve a 20-year service connects the voted mainland with six island agreement for Central Maine Power to purchase communities: Frenchboro, Islesboro, Matinicus, electricity generated by the turbine.

North Haven, Swan’s Island, and Vinalhaven.

Off shore wind is the largest untapped energy The service operates seven vessels, including two resource “by far,” Ward said.

He explained how ferries built in 1959 and 1960. The service hasn’t the floating turbine will use pre-cast launched a new vesselstructure since 2012. concrete segments.

Maine State Ferry Service Manager Mark “We’re said very that confias dent will survive” in the maHiggins theit ferry fleet ages, overall rine environment, he said.

“Anything happening reliability diminishes and maintenance and operin thecosts Gulf skyrocket. of Maine is going to be floating.” ating Still, permitting remains to beprogram, secured. Fishing “As we pursue our new-build Maine interests will be included in weighing proposals, State Ferry Service wants to be a leader in carbon regulators but fishing advocates those emissions said, reduction through use of urged new techpresent vigilant. nology,”to hebe said.

Nick Livesay of the state of Envi“We’ve been working with Department other (ferry) systems ronmental Protection said the project off Monheand with naval engineers and naval architects gan will fall under state jurisdiction.

Th e site locaon the best strategy for powering these vessels. tion law would hold sway, he said, which ensures Hopefully, the next bids we put out, maybe as there willthis be fall, no adverse effect specifications on existing uses, soon as will include for

diesel-electric vessels

I

a diesel-electric hybrid system with an onboard stored power (battery) system.”

The goal, Higgins said, is to eventually have a fleet of all-electric ferries.

“A propulsion system with two on-board generators will see fuel costs go from $150,000 a year to $112,000, a savings of 25 to 30 percent,” Higgins said.

Bill Pulver, the service’s chief operating officer, told the Ferry Service Advisory Board in March By the Wanda service Curtis “is taking a serious look at more climate-friendly and cost-effective propulsion Maineare Coast Fishermen’s Association systems,he which being phased into service has won a $5,000 grant to promote mental throughout the world.” health awareness in the commercial fishPulver noted that European countries “are ing industry. way ahead of the U.S. and North America when of marine programs it Monique comes toCoombs, the use director of hybrid/electric powered for the nonprofi t, said and the funds will be usedintothe deferries, with interest implementation velop informational materials to assist commercial U.S. and Canada growing.” fishermen in managing stress, anxiety, and depresAmong the ferry systems DOT is assessing are sion, as well as materials showing how to mentransit, river crossings, and sight-seeingstay tours in tally fit. ATexas, websiteSan with phone numbers for fistate, sherAlabama, Francisco, Washington men to reachColumbia. out for help may also be in the works. and British Th e grant was by the Fisher Charitable Trust.

“There are awarded different types and configuraCoombs said fi shermen may be experiencing tions of these propulsion systems,” Pulver said, stress due diesel-electric, to changes in the industry over which including hybrid diesel-electric, they have no control.

Th e ever-present danger in fully electric, and others. “When these terms the work also adds stress. are used interchangeably, it causes confusion,” not fishing that produces stress for fisherhe“It’s noted. men,” she said. learned “Many ofthat themevery love being on “We’ve also ferry out route the water.

It’s dealing with a lot of uncertainty due is different when it comes to the potential and to thingsfor likehybrid/electric climate and regulation changes, and options propulsion, ” Pulver how those things are going to impact their busisaid, “given the length of routes, the types of ness and income.”

seas, the size and power requirements of the vessel, the daily schedule, and land-based power capacity and infrastructure at the dock. We’ve learned, too, that shore-based charging infrastructure upgrades and peak power costs can be scenicand character, air and water quality, or other costly challenging.” natural resources in the area of the turbine.

Pulver said the ongoing construction of a new A project also must to the federal Natural replacement ferry forconform the Vinalhaven-Rockland Resources Act,ferry Livesay said,evaluates and not route is onProtection hold as the service “unreasonably interfere” with recreation naviwhether hybrid diesel-electric systems areortechgation, or harm estuarine or marine fi sheries. nically and financially feasible. The $9.5 millionA developer been also must a navigation vessel has underprovide construction for twoplan, yearsa fi sh and wildlife plan, and a removal plan.

by Washburn and Doughty in East Boothbay.

Brianferry Hooker of the Bureau of Ocean The service is now weighing costsEnergy and Management (BOEM) outlined the federal role in benefits of available propulsion options beyond offshore wind. BOEM’s jurisdiction lies inoriginally the waters two emission-reducing diesel engines that are three to 200 miles off state land.

Th multiengineered for the Captain Richard Spear, ewhich phased, multi-year approval process includes will replace the Captain Charles Philbrook, which planning analysis, route assessments of waters and has run theand Vinalhaven for 30 years. wind potential, and construction and The new 160-foot vessel is designed operation. to accomBOEM23 is reviewing the Vineyard Wind project modate vehicles and 250 passengers, up in Massachusetts, and Hooker said a fi nal decision from the Philbrook’s 17 vehicles and 221 passenis expected by the Richard end of the year.

Thoriginally e National gers.

The Captain Spear was Marine Fisheries Service isinpart of the expected to be completed April, but review deliveryprois cess and is represented on a task force that includes now expected this fall. representatives from New Hampshire, and As more ferries areMaine, commissioned and delivMassachusetts. ered, the Captain Richard Spear will likely be Annie Hawkins of Responsible OffFrenchboro shore Develreassigned to the Swan’s Island and opment Alliance, a Washington D.C.-based adservice that connects those island destinations vocacy group formed to protect fi shery interests with Bass Harbor, Higgins said. As new ferries in off shore into winduse, development, group inare phased the vessels said they her replace may cludes 170 be members. eventually sold. “There is always a secondary Regulators must consider fishing interests, she market,” he said. said, and “We don’t feel that’s been done very well to date.” BAY Developers use a “divide and conquer” CASCO OPTIONS approach, separating and projects weakIn Portland, the boardstates of directors of thetoCasco en opposition.

Bay Island Transit District and its Casco Bay Lines “We’re trying to take the25dialogue ferry system approved on June the designback,” of a Hawkins said. new 599-passenger, 15-vehicle vessel it will add to fished for 40 years from Port its Fred agingMattera, fleet ofwho five has ferries.

Judith, R.I., urged fi shermen document where Launched over 150 yearstoago with coalthey work now to make the case for mitigation fired wooden ships that delivered tourists toif they are displaced bythroughout wind turbines. island communities Casco Bay, the “You must stay engaged,” he now said. handles one Portland-based ferry system Beth passengers, Casoni, director the Massachusetts million 35,000 of vehicles, and 500,000 Lobstermen’s Association, echoed that view,mail saypieces of freight each year, as well as U.S. ing “comments matter” during public review, citdeliveries. The destinations it serves from a dock ing aPortland’s project areaCommercial off the Bay State that was reduced on Street waterfront by 65 percent because of articulated concerns. include four islands—Peaks, Little Diamond, ThisDiamond, spring, UMaine’s said, are the within project Great and Cliff, Ward all of which will hire a fi sheries liaison.

Portland’s city limits—as well as the independent towns of Long Island and Chebeague Island.

As proposed, the $11.2 million project—$1.2 million for design and an estimated $10 million for construction—would be equipped with a 900 kWh diesel/electric propulsion system instead of a conventional diesel system. The system’s newest vessel was built in 2013, and the oldest in 1985.

The hybrid propulsion system is projected to eliminate 800 metric tons of CO2 emissions According the National Institute annually, and to eliminate exhaust fumes for andOccupaexcestional Safety and Health, commercial fi shing is one of sive engine noise. the most dangerous occupations in the U.S.toIts “We consider the useful life of our ferries bedata 30 shows that commercial fi shermen experienced a fayears, after which everything involved gets more tality rate of 114 deaths 100,000 full-time expensive, ” said Hank per Berg, the Casco Bayequivaferry lent workers between 2000 and 2017.

Th at compares system’s general manager. “In terms of the alterto an average of four deathswe’ve per 100,000 native propulsion systems, receivedfull-time many equivalents among all U.S. workers. positive comments from within the communities Common hazards vessel that rely on our ferryinclude system. ” disasters, falls overboard, and a variety of onboard gearhas andcommitted equipment.

The Federal Transit Authority Coombs said fi shing is a very isolating industry, $9.5 million to the project. Maine DOT has allowith some fi shermen out on the water and away from cated $750,000, and the city of Portland will add families for days at a time, which adds to stress. another $59,000.

“Depression, anxiety,source and thoughts of suicide Another curious of funding is are not uncommon in any fi shing community, no expected to come from Maine’s share of the $21 matter which coast you are on,” said Coombs.

“It million settlement of federal lawsuits against is an isolating,the dangerous occupation, full of for unVolkswagen, court-ordered penalty certainty and expense.” intentionally tampering with emission control The grant is justofa beginning, she said, butare it’s devices in some its cars. Those funds a step toward bringing issues into the open to being allocated among all 50 states, Puerto Rico,be addressed. Th e hope to humanize the tribes, fishing Washington D.C. andisNative American industry and make the public aware of stressors depending on VW sales of cars with faulty emisfishermen face every day. sions software.

Alex Todd, a 10th generation fisherman from

Fishermen’s group wants to raise mental health awareness Changing climate, resources, danger produce stress

T

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Chebeague Island, said changing regulations, such as those concerning right whale protections, are among the biggest stressors for him.

“There’s also a lot less mobility between fisheries today due to licensing issues, which makes things more stressful, too,” he added. “I know some fishermen have gotten therapy and it’s helped them, but many are reluctant to admit they need help.

“I get relief from stress by going to the gym or playing my guitar, but everybody is different,” Todd said. “I appreciate what the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association is trying to do by drawing attention to these issues.”

8

The Working Waterfront . August 2020

Rock Bound

Highlights of my glorious career

And an unforgettable ‘moment’ with Hillary Clinton

By Tom Groening ON JULY 28, Hillary Clinton is scheduled to speak as part of a series at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor.

We expect to have a report on her talk in our September issue, but seeing her name in connection with a Maine appearance gives me an excuse to trot out my story about a sort of encounter I had with the former first lady, U.S. senator, secretary of state, and 2016 presidential nominee.

Before I get to that moment of glory, I’d like to come clean about some other highlights.

In the late 1980s, while reporting for the (Belfast) Republican Journal, I had the local crime beat. Back in those days, the waterfront was a bit rougher, and on a Saturday night, a fight broke out in someone’s driveway, leaving one man dead.

The deceased man was from a nearby town, and in those pre-internet days, I went to the phone book and found a listing for what seemed to be his parents. I called, and awkwardly asked the man about his dead son. Long pause. Then, a panicked voice.

“What are you saying about my son?”

Yeah, I had the wrong guy. As a parent, I know that I probably caused the poor man’s heart to stop for a moment.

I reached a pinnacle of my editorship my last week on that job, as I prepared to go work for the Bangor Daily News.

Joe Brooks, an editor with the BDN, was running as a favorite for a seat in the legislature, and the Republican Journal the morning after the election proclaimed in large type that he’d been upset.

Yep, Dewey defeats Truman. A town clerk working on a few hours’ sleep had reversed the numbers for her town. We actually reprinted the front section of the paper, and the staff and I fanned out across the county and, squatting on dusty convenience store floors, replaced the inaccurate with the accurate.

The next week, I started the new job, and the late Emmet Meara, Rockland bureau chief, drove me around the county, introducing me to police chiefs, the sheriff, and town managers, saying, “This is the guy who (effed up) the Joe Brooks story!” And handing them copies of the incorrect front page.

Months later, I was covering a Coast Guard court martial hearing in Rockland’s courthouse. At one point, the judge asked the young man, “And what happened when you smoked the marijuana?” The answer, after a whisper into his lawyer’s ear, was: “Uh, I got high.”

I chortled a lot louder than I expected, drawing stares. A few minutes later, I rose to leave, and the strap on my

laptop bag caught on a bench, flinging me and its contents to the floor. This elicited an even louder laugh—from me, and no one else.

Now, the Hillary story. It must have been late 1993, and the Clintons were on their healthcare reform road trip. The first lady was to speak at the University of Maine’s Alfond Center, and I would cover it for the weekly paper.

I arrived early to scope out a place to shoot photos. I ran into another reporter, who said it wasn’t clear where we should be. Now, I am not pushy, and slowly walked as far forward as I could, passing steely-eyed men literally talking into their cuffs. They ignored me.

I took up a position leaning against the hockey boards to the side of the stage, and noticed three photographers with thousands of dollars of gear dangling from their hips. Hmmm.

BDN, Press Herald, and AP? As Clinton walked onto the stage, they hopped up and began madly shooting. I hustled over and did the same. I should note that I was dressed in what I thought was appropriate garb—blue jeans, sneakers, jean jacket, and a collared dress shirt.

As the first lady approached the microphone to thunderous applause, she locked eyes with me. One, two, three long seconds.

In my mind, I thought I was giving her a raised eyebrow and a, “Well, hello to you, too!” look, but I probably looked like a middle schooler at his first dance. When she began speaking, I shot a few more photos, and retreated to the side.

A few minutes later, the late Kay Hyatt, a wonderful woman who ran UMaine’s public affairs office, marched towards me, obviously furious. When she told me I had no business being there, I said, “But what about those photographers?

How come they get to be up front?”

“Those are the official White House photographers,” she said. Ah, so Clinton would know those people, and wondered who the heck I was.

I was escorted to the back of the hall—it felt like she dragged me by the earlobe—where I saw dozens of reporters and photographers seated, watching the talk on TV monitors.

Well, I did get a great front-page photo out of it. And if anyone at COA chats with Mrs. Clinton, tell her I said hello.

Tom Groening is editor of The Working Waterfront.

Reflections

Island images ask deeper questions

The beauty of Maine’s coast can obscure the issues that it faces Reflections is written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront.

By Molly Siegel ON A FOGGY morning in June, a friend and I were down at the dock loading up his lobster boat to make a trip off island.

Leaving the island is a rarity in these days of restricted travel, and this day was made more special because we were planning to go to the dump.

On the mainland, a dump run is nothing special. Here on the island, we don’t have the convenience of a dump, so disposing of large items is a complicated undertaking. Today we were transporting some furniture and construction debris left over from a renovation project.

The smallest breeze furrowed the water and the boats had all swung northeast on their moorings with the incoming tide. The fog muffled the

only sounds: sharp cries of gulls and the bumping of a skiff on the dock as a fisherman rowed in.

It was low tide so the wooden pier towered over the water and the aluminum ramp sloped steeply down to the dock. To avoid the difficult footing, we were using the mechanical winch to lower an old blue linen cabinet into the boat.

I watched as the winch wound the cable up and the cabinet swung out over the still water. It slowly turned, a quarter of a revolution, and before it could turn any more, I ran to dig my phone out of my bag to take a picture.

Something struck me about the moment, and though I couldn’t say what it was, I wanted to capture it. An even gradient of color sifted through from the flat white ceiling of fog to the steely blue water directly in front of us. The only interruptions were the faint outline of Kimball Island and the scattering of lobster boats at their moorings. The dusty, banged-up paint of the cabinet matched the darkest part of the water almost precisely. It

tilted to the right but the ropes held it firmly.

In the photo, the distance between the cabinet and the water seems infinite. The pier, the winch, and the boat are all outside the frame and so there is no reference point to show where the cabinet came from and where it was going. It would be easy to come up with a metaphor for this image.

It could represent the fragility of the island community in a time of crisis.

The cabinet could be the last of its kind, like the last member of an old fishing family leaving the island.

I have never been drawn to this type of visual metaphor. It is too simple and does not explain the nuances inherent in a working community. Sometimes I am frustrated at the way the Maine coast is viewed as a pretty place to visit in the summer. Photos like this one are seen as quaint relics of a time long gone.

What I do appreciate are images that invite us to ask questions. My favorite Maine photo is Peter Ralston’s “Pentecost,” in which a fishing boat tows a boat full of sheep into the

glittering fog. It’s a lively image that suggests a story at the intersection of humans and nature.

I want people to look past the pretty scenery and ask questions about the stories behind these photographs. To visit the islands and engage with the people in a meaningful way. Ask why the cabinet is hanging over the water.

It got there somehow, and behind the quirky imagery is a long tradition of treating objects with care and reverence.

By asking these questions, we can come to appreciate every aspect of island life, not just the pretty scenery but also the hard work that keeps these places livable.

Molly Siegel is an Island Fellow on Isle au Haut, working to support a community telemedicine facility and affordable, sustainable year-round housing.

www.workingwaterfront.com . August 2020

9

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE, BUT… This photo, believed to have been shot in 1950, shows the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Cowslip, calling at the pier on Monhegan, bringing water to fill islander tanks during a drought, notes Tara Hire of the Monhegan Musuem. The 180foot cutter appears to have been built in 1942, one of an original 39 buoy tenders. Thanks to the museum for the photo, and if any readers know more, please write editor Tom Groening at: tgroening@islandinstitute.org

Op-Ed

Tourism industry adapted, but more help needed Booster groups, including HospitalityMaine, asking for state funds

By Greg Dugal AS COVID-19 spread around the world, it found its way into every nook and cranny of society, and into the very fabric of Maine. And tourism—welcoming visitors from out of state, and encouraging our residents to enjoy all we have to offer—was impacted in unprecedented ways.

Over the next few months many restaurants closed, with take-out, curbside, and delivery the only option available for the rest. HospitalityMaine worked diligently with other groups and state government to institute new restaurant ideas, such as takeout beer and wine, followed by growlers for takeout and cocktails to go. It was a true private-public partnership that we will always be proud of.

Next came the shuttering of hotels on April 5, with only essential workers allowed as guests until May 31. While many seasonal hotels did not even open, for year-round properties, it was two months of some to no business and financial crises were born.

Amidst all of this angst, HospitalityMaine worked closely with Sen. Susan Collins and her staff on the details of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), that so many of our small hospitality businesses accessed, both along the coast and in the state’s

Island Institute Board of Trustees

Emily B. Lane, Chair Tom Tinsley Vice Chair Charles Owen Verrill, Jr. Secretary Douglas Henderson, Treasurer, Finance Chair Donna Wiegle, Programs Chair Kristin Howard, Philanthropy Chair Bryan Lewis, Governance Chair Michael P. Boyd, Clerk Sebastian Belle Shey Conover David Cousens Megan McGinnis Dayton Michael Felton Nathan Johnson Michael Sant Barbara Kinney Sweet Katherine Vogt Carol White John Bird (honorary) Louis W. Cabot (honorary)

interior. Fortunately, this program still has $130 billion in funds.

The deadline to apply has been extended and efforts are being made to help afflicted businesses access a second round of financial assistance from PPP, with additional legislation.

But more help is needed for the tourism sector, which, in a normal year in the state’s eight coastal counties, accounts for more than $1.2 billion in taxable lodging and restaurant sales.

The Maine Hospitality and Tourism Alliance, with HospitalityMaine as a charter member, has proposed to state government a recovery fund of $800 million to help stem the losses in the tourism, hospitality, and retail industries.

As it became time to think about reopening Maine’s economy, HospitalityMaine stepped up, in the person of Steve Hewins, to help craft the checklists that would allow the restaurant and lodging industry to open and to increase the gathering size from ten to 50 individuals. While we were busy working on providing this information to the agency in charge, the Department of Economic and Community Development, we enlisted the help of the Maine Community College system to create curriculum to train hospitality workers and owners in the art

of providing COVID-19-safe meals and accommodations. Each trained employee receives a microcredential or badge from Eastern Maine Community College and a certificate from HospitalityMaine.

Through February of this year, Maine’s hospitality industry was up 12 percent and on pace to achieve our 11th straight record year. Restaurant closures and people limiting travel resulted in a reduction in taxable sales at restaurants of 35 percent and hotels of 46 percent for the month of March.

In April, the numbers showed restaurants down 58 percent and hotels down 80 percent. May and June taxable sales numbers have not been released

by Maine Revenue Services but more of the same is expected.

The hospitality industry contributes $350 million a year to the general fund. This year it could be half that amount. HospitalityMaine commissioned a study by the University of Maine that projects the industry to lose $2.4 billion in revenue and over 30,000 jobs in 2020 alone.

It will be years before the industry makes a full recovery.

Greg Dugal is director of government affairs for HospitalityMaine.

THE WORKING WATERFRONT

Published by the Island Institute, a non-profit organization that works to sustain Maine's island and coastal communities, and exchanges ideas and experiences to further the sustainability of communities here and elsewhere.

All members of the Island Institute and residents of Maine island communities receive monthly mail delivery of The Working Waterfront.

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The Working Waterfront . August 2020

10

Gabrielle Hillyer of Orono.

Sirohi Kumar of Bar Harbor.

Logan Parker of Palermo.

Six young environmental change-makers honored Natural Resources Council of Maine recognizes persistence, impact

S

ix young Maine change-makers have been honored as the inaugural group of Brookie Award winners for their leadership and effectiveness working on environmental issues. The Brookie Awards is a new statewide recognition program organized by NRCM Rising, the young member arm of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, to elevate and amplify the voices of the rising generation of environmental leaders in Maine.

“I’m inspired by the winners, who all represent what is best about Maine’s environmental movement,” said NRCM CEO Lisa Pohlmann. “These young leaders are committed to acting on their values

with creativity and passion to protect the nature of Maine. I look forward to listening and learning from them about how we can all work together toward a brighter, healthier, and stronger Maine for all.”

The geographically diverse group includes students, artists, and scientists ranging from ages 15 to 30 who are implementing solutions to environmental challenges ranging from climate action to bird conservation, and protection of shellfisheries.

GABRIELLE HILLYER of Orono is project coordinator and co-developer of the Maine Shellfish Learning Network where she works to protect the health

of regional shellfisheries by bringing shellfish harvesters, coastal towns, researchers, state agencies, and other partners together. Hillyer is the designer of the Bucket Drifter, which is being used to measure the tides and other river water data to understand an estuary’s ability to get rid of bacteria that is harmful to shellfish.

SIROHI KUMAR of Bar Harbor is youth representative to the Bar Harbor Task Force on Climate, where she helped play a leadership role in the town’s climate emergency declaration and wrote a how-to guide for declaring a climate emergency in any Maine town.

presents

Coastal Maine Voices LOOKING TO THE FUTURE HANNAH PINGREE ON MAINE’S PATH FORWARD

HANNAH PINGREE Director, Maine Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and

the Future

ROB SNYDER President, Island Institute Join us for this special online event that explores bigger picture insights on the pandemic and how climate outcomes for Maine can be aligned as we look to the future. Other topics will include economic activity along the coast of Maine, broadband’s path forward, the state of affairs in Augusta, and island life.

Please join us for this virtual event

JULY 22, 2:00 PM

A perfect joining of new and old, this 1856 charming cape is connected by a gorgeous sun room to a contemporary master suite with radiant heat and beautiful views from all windows to Frenchman Bay. The original cape has a country kitchen, breakfast nook, formal dining room, living room with wood-burning fireplace, two bedrooms, den, office space and a full and half bath. The master suite has lots of space, a walk-in closet, sitting area, and beautiful bath with soaking tub and separate shower. One-car garage is attached to the house and another is separate. Large barn with hay loft, and lots of space for equipment or for animals, your call. Rear deck overlooking veggie gardens and a simply beautiful perennial garden. The fields lead to 400 feet of deep water with the added bonus of a little tidal cove, full of bird life. Moor your boat just off your beach with the other lobster boats in the bay. A small orchard rounds out this incredible 4.2-acre, salt-water farm on the Hancock Point peninsula to be enjoyed for all seasons. $795,000.

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www.workingwaterfront.com . August 2020

11

Jordan Parks of Portland.

Riley Stevenson of Waldoboro.

Ania Wright of Bar Harbor.

of Palermo is founder of the Maine Nightjar Monitoring Project, a monitoring program that mainstreams the collection of data on the Eastern Whip-poor-will and the Common Nighthawk— two species that face major threats throughout the entirety of their breeding ranges. This initiative also serves as a model for regional field naturalism.

JORDAN PARKS of Portland is a sustainable materials artist who uses art to cultivate connections between people and places and to encourage activism. She developed and curated two outdoor interactive art exhibitions, Surface First Tilts West and Windward Exhibition. Her passion for spreading environmental awareness has been a result of her work as an environmental and outdoor educator.

RILEY STEVENSON of Waldoboro is the outreach director for Maine Youth Climate Strikes and founder

of the Coastal Youth Climate Coalition where she is building a statewide network to connect youth climate organizers and activists.

ANIA WRIGHT of Bar Harbor is the youth representative to the Maine Climate Council, and founding member of both Maine Youth for Climate Justice and Downeast Climate Emergency Action Coalition. Wright is coauthor of the Climate Justice Syllabus.

Brookie Award winners receive a $1,000 cash prize and the opportunity to attend a nature-based retreat with their fellow young environmental change-makers where they will participate in skillbuilding sessions and engage with other environmental and political leaders in Maine. The retreat aims to foster knowledge-sharing across generations and environmental movement-building by more deeply connecting these outstanding individuals to

the nature of Maine and encouraging their ongoing commitment to environmentalism.

“The young leaders being recognized with Brookie Awards are using their voice, energy, and unique perspectives to protect what we all love about Maine,” said NRCM leadership giving director Fiona Gordon, who helped to create and manage the new Brookie Awards program. “They lead not just with powerful words but with effective action that brings Mainers together to create long-lasting change that we all benefit from.”

More than 40 young people across 12 of Maine’s 16 counties applied to receive Brookie Awards. The group of six winners was evaluated and chosen based on leadership, collective action, creativity, collaboration, persistence, and impact.

The Brookie Awards were made possible by the generosity and early partnership of the Quimby Family Foundation. To learn more about the Brookie Awards visit: www.brookieawards.org

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The Working Waterfront . August 2020

Beautiful

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The shipbuilding city on the Kennebec River has more to boast of than Bath Iron Works Photo essay by Michele Stapleton

www.workingwaterfront.com . August 2020

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14

The Working Waterfront . August 2020

Our Island Communities

Clockwise from left: Book jacket from Cezar Ferreira’s new book. Ferreira, foreground, photographs a busy scene at Hitty’s Café in an earlier summer. Cezar Ferreira, left, at the service window at Hitty’s Café.

From Brazil to Great Cranberry, the food travels well Cranberry Isles chef brings world of experience to café and cookbook

By Laurie Schreiber

W

hen he visits Brazil, Cezar Ferreira is partial to moqueca, a stew of flaky white fish, coconut milk, cilantro, peppers, lime juice, peppers, and onion that’s perfectly accompanied by caiperinha, a sugar-cane alcohol and lime juice cocktail.

At the food trucks, he enjoys crispy pasties, a type of empanada that goes well with hot sauce and cold beer. In New York City, he knows of a great pizzeria that uses fresh mozzarella and plenty of fresh basil— an experience he never skips.

That love of food in all its variety is what Ferreira brings to Hitty’s Café, a soup and sandwich eatery he’s been running seasonally on Great Cranberry Island for the past five years.

Now he’s sharing the love through his first collection of recipes and photographs, simply titled Cezar Ferreira’s Cook Book. The book uses his photographs and recipes to take the reader through his 30-year culinary career, working as a private chef, caterer, and magazine food stylist, primarily in Manhattan and Florida.

Ferreira’s gorgeous photos include lovely table settings with colorful plateware and flower centerpieces. Lettuce leaves are artfully arranged in red pepper rings. Bouillabaisse features abundant lobster, shrimp, clams, and broth. Mountain-rubbed skirt steaks smoke enticingly on a grill while a rack of lamb reveals a delicate pink center.

Hitty’s, with its flowering gardens and rustic exterior, serves as a scenic backdrop for some photographs which, of course, include a platter of iconic lobster rolls, served on buttered and toasted buns.

Recipes include eggs Benedict, pastel de carne,

Brazilian feijoada, and desserts such as tiramisu and crème brulee.

“It started off as a photography book to give my family for Christmas,” he said.

Then he sent the manuscript to his magazine editor.

“He said, ‘You need more recipes and you need to sell this,’” Ferreira continued. “So I went back to the drawing board and finished the book.”

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Ferreira was a young child when his family moved to New York and then Massachusetts. In his early career, he cooked at the Upper West Side location of a Manhattan restaurant called Sarabeth’s. That led to catering and to magazine photography. During his private chef experience for high-end clients in New York and Florida, he focused on his culinary skill and artistic sense to enhance food for its visual appeal. His food photography has appeared in Vox, Newsday, and other publications.

His travels throughout Europe and much of South America have been in part a culinary exploration.

Six years ago, he was operating his catering company in Vero Beach, Fla., when he got a call from his sister-in-law. She has a house on Great Cranberry, he explained, and suggested he travel up to see Hitty’s as a potential summertime gig.

“I managed to come up mid-February in a snowstorm,” he said with a laugh. “I fell in love with the island.”

He flew back to Florida the next day, but returned in the summertime to take on the lease at Hitty’s, which is named after a 1929 children’s novel called Hitty, Her First Hundred Years, by Cranberry Isles summer resident Rachel Field.

“I immediately started making soups, salads, different kinds of sandwiches—and people responded,” said Ferreira.

Ferreira works in a small kitchen in the rear of the café, which is part of a larger community center and museum called Cranberry House. Ferreira credited island resident Bruce Komusin, as a founding member, in 1993, of the Great Cranberry Island Historical Society, for leading the establishment of the facility, which opened in 2008 and became a visitor draw that helped reinvigorate the island community.

Visitation is central to the café’s success. Every summer was busier than the last. Last year, Ferreira calculated that he made over 7,000 sandwiches, plus soups, salads, and baked goods.

The café is open mid-May to mid-October. Ferreira said he enjoys serving tourists, local residents, and yachters. As an extensive traveler himself, he said, it’s a great chance to swap stories.

And his growing network has led to connections with new clients. For example, an L.L. Bean representative happened to visit the island one year. He showed her various spots that proved perfect for a catalogue photo shoot.

The café’s opening was delayed this year: For starters, due to the pandemic, Ferreira had trouble getting a flight back from his annual visit to Brazil. It’s unclear how the season will unfold, he said. But people are eager to swing by. During a recent Saturday lunch, he served 49. The dining area is outdoors, making it compatible with safety precautions.

In the meantime, he’s offering his book at the café and through a self-publishing website called blurb.

He plans a sequel next year, to include more recipes.

What does he love about Great Cranberry?

“It’s a community,” he said. “They embraced me when I got here. It’s peaceful and the view is astonishing.”

www.workingwaterfront.com . August 2020

North Haven-based ‘The Jacob James’ delivers power pop

Drummer from Toughcats joins forces with Bill Trevaskis

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CEL E

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ATIN

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he Jacob James have their hands on the wheel, their eyes set on the night, and a car stereo blasting loud guitars and killer melodic rock and roll.

They are a duo based on North Haven—Jacob Greenlaw on bass, drums, and vocals, and Bill Trevaskis on guitars.

With full force drums, melodic, high-energy vocals, and tight power pop and 1970s rock-inspired riffs, they write catchy songs with a hint of familiarity.

The band claims inspiration from 1970s and early 1980s power pop and “glam” rock, bands like the Nerves, the Shivvers, Shoes, and Queen, tempered by influences from radio hit legends such as Fleetwood Mac, Gerry Rafferty, the Pretenders, along with a deep love for punk/metal and post-punk bands like X, Judas Priest, and Mission of Burma. The duo also shares a love for modern groups such as Sheer Mag, Ex Hex, and Deerhoof.

Greenlaw and Trevaskis joined forces on the island last year. With Trevaskis acting as producer, they released their self-titled debut album on June 16. It features 12 tracks that represent a bold new direction for songwriter Greenlaw (longtime member of Americana group Toughcats). With lyrics that reflect a major period of growth and change in his early 30s, Greenlaw wrote the majority of the new album in Savannah, Georgia in 2019 after a long hiatus from the music scene.

The full-length album follows the release of three singles in the winter and spring of 2020 on Bandcamp, and a debut live performance at SPACE Gallery in Portland in February.

Find The Jacob James at turnupthejacobjames.com or on Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp, or Bull Moose.

For further information: jjgreenlaw@gmail.com

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The Working Waterfront . August 2020

The Sunbeam holds its course

Out of the water and online, Maine Seacoast Mission’s continues

By Frances Mize

B

uilt in 1995 and operated now by the Bar Harbor-based Maine Seacoast Mission, the 75-foot long, steel-hulled Sunbeam V clears harbors of ice in the winter months, and in all seasons serves as a place of fellowship and communion for those unbridged islands of Maine that support yearround populations.

Douglas Cornman, director of island outreach, whose work ranges from leading worship services to arranging an anthology of creative works from the islands, notes that “the boat’s never locked, the coffee is always hot. Folks are welcome on board, and we’ll just sit and chat.”

While the rest of the world struggles to fall into the rhythms of Zoom meetings and a life wrenched online, this sort of digital connection is nothing new for the Sunbeam. In addition to serving as a space for community, telemedicine equipment aboard the ship ensures that islanders have access to quality, reliable healthcare.

Director of Island Health Services Sharon Daley travels to the islands and performs routine checkups herself, but islanders are also put in touch via video call with physicians and mental healthcare providers on the mainland. On-island services are varied and robust, from an eldercare program organized by Daley to Cornman’s work facilitating the transition of teenagers moving off their home island for high school on the mainland.

Still, Daley notes that most of the Sunbeam’s work is flexible and guided by immediate, voiced need.

“When we’re on the islands, Douglas and I walk around, and I make house calls. Or if I’m walking down the road, somebody goes by in a truck and they stop to talk to me. I do a lot of check-in like that.”

So, with the Sunbeam pulled from the water last June for a routine refit, Daley and Cornman continued to get to Maine’s unbridged islands by any means possible: ferries, mail boats, lobster boats. Their work chugged on. But temporarily moving the Sunbeam out of operation wasn’t the only challenge the Seacoast Mission would face in the year to come: the onset of COVID-19 ultimately cut off their island visitations altogether.

The Sunbeam now “ The boat’s never holds weekly “coffee locked, the coffee chats” online, and Daley is always hot. Folks still urges islanders to contact her with any are welcome on health concerns, emphasizing that “this is not board, and we’ll the time to put off your just sit and chat.” healthcare needs.”

The relative isola—DOUGLAS CORNMAN tion of the islands has not shielded them from ramifications of the coronavirus. Struggling before the pandemic, Maine’s lobster industry, intractable from the economic life of many of these communities, is taking an additional hit as tourism across the state dwindles and drives market prices down.

Cornman hears “reserve and caution in people’s voices, waiting to see how this all plays out.” He also

Douglas Cornman meets with students on Frenchboro in 2018.

PHOTO: TRISTAN SPINSKI

The Sunbeam, the Maine Seacoast Mission’s vessel.

laments the fact that the Seacoast Mission can no longer meet with the islanders on their home turf.

Communication in person allows Daley and Cornman to understand how they can do their best work. “It’s often through chatting with someone on the boat that Sharon and I will hear one of the islanders talk about something we can help them with,” he said. “The goal wasn’t to intentionally find that out, but we found that out because we were there.”

Daley describes her work similarly: “It’s a lot of listening.” She notes that some islanders have even said to her, “I might not even come down to the boat, but I feel better when I just see it in the harbor.”

The Seacoast Mission has traveled to Maine’s unbridged islands since 1905 to deliver the same care and support that Daley and Cornman provide now. Daley feels like her work relies upon that longstanding reputation of the organization.

“When I first started this job, I had a lot of trust from the communities just because I work for the Maine Seacoast Mission.” Despite technological advancements, a massive renovation, and a myriad of changing circumstances, the efforts of the Sunbeam still move forward.

Daley says people have asked her why she continues to support communities of such small numbers. “I just don’t know what to say besides ‘Why wouldn’t you?”

CAPTAIN’S LOG The Sunbeam has been in dry dock since May of 2019, with the primary goal addressing interior hull rust, reports Capt. Mike Johnson.

“Steel boats rust from the inside out, given that access for routine maintenance is impossible.

After 25 years, rust was beginning to take hold and we needed to address it before it became a structural issue,” he reported.

Since she was out of the water, the Seacoast Mission chose to update almost all of the interior, including bridge electronics.

COVID 19 along with rust being more pervasive than expected has slowed progress of the work.

The initial estimate of cost was $1.2 million, but the additional rust damage has pushed up the cost, he said.

The good news, Johnson says, is that “We will be launching a ‘good as new’ boat in mid-August for less than half of new construction.”

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www.workingwaterfront.com . August 2020

17

Guest Column

Outer island schools celebrate decade of connection

One-room schools have benefited from peer network

By Yvonne Thomas

W

hat do a two-day old baby boy in Hope, a family in the Bahamas, an Island Fellow on Frenchboro, and a Maine Islands Coalition representative on Cliff Island have in common? They were all among the 50-plus people who attended a virtual party in May to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the TLC (the full name is the Outer Islands Teaching and Learning Collaborative).

The TLC is a collaboration among the oneand two-room Maine island schools of Cliff, Frenchboro, Isle au Haut, the Cranberry Isles, Matinicus, and Monhegan; recently, Cuttyhunk Island in Massachusetts joined. Through in-person and virtual connections, TLC students and teachers create a rich and supportive inter-island peer network that provides a lifeline of support.

The party was kicked off with an activity in which the group made a virtual word cloud that highlighted favorite aspects of the TLC with the words students, teachers, friends, fun, and field trips all ranking high. We had originally planned to have the party be an in-person extravaganza during our annual spring field trip, but COVID-19 changed that and sent us back to the party-planning drawing board to re-think our event for an online setting.

We knew we could still bring the full TLC community (students, teachers, and friends) together to honor this important milestone because out of necessity, video conferencing has always been an essential and dynamic part of the TLC. The TLC is very good at making virtual celebrations fun and funny and this one was no exception.

The TLC’s student council helped plan the agenda for the party so that it would work for both the kids and the adults. They made party favors—crafts and cards that were mailed out to participants in time to open together at the party, helping create a tangible connection between party-goers. There was a game of TLC trivia created on an easy to use platform called Slido and we got into break-out rooms and created songs and cheers inspired by the TLC—a couple of groups even had impromptu costumes and

props (TLCers have a long history of dressing up for spirit weeks and holiday celebrations, there’s usually a wig or cape close by).

And we recognized the graduating 8th graders: these are the first students to have graduated having been in the TLC for their entire school careers. And we viewed a special recorded video message of congratulations from Sen. Angus King who has been a fan of the TLC for years. We then finished up with an epic slide show looking back at the past ten years of our collaboration.

When the party was over, there was overwhelmingly positive feedback and gratitude for the party and for the TLC with comments like: “What a great party! That was awesome! Loved all the pictures.

We love the TLC! TLC rocks! Thanks to everyone at the Island Institute and all the islands!”

The student council felt that the party was a success because it was both organized and fun.

The high level of participation and engagement across the islands, across multiple grade levels and generations and across ten school years speaks to the power of the collaboration and Video the relationships that conferencing support it.

The trajectory for this has always been school year has been so an essential and unexpected and in many dynamic part ways, so hard, which makes long-standing, of the TLC. successful collaborations like the TLC even more valuable. We don’t know what next school year will be like, but we know that the TLC will be there to keep the collaboration going. Working together, the TLC will continue to help the outer island schools make the most out of the abundant opportunities we have and work together to address the inevitable challenges and of course, have fun in the process.

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The Working Waterfront . August 2020

Saltwater Cure

Not the same, but also good

Virus changes nature of summer, but there is plenty to be savored

By Courtney Naliboff WHEN IT BECAME clear this spring that we weren’t going to kick this pandemic with two weeks of shutdown, the big question for many on (and off) North Haven became “what about summer?” Would summer residents be able to spend time here? What would things look like for restaurants? What about Community Days, and other traditional large gatherings?

It’s just early July, and the summer is definitely different than what we may have hoped it to be. Community Days is canceled. Fourth of July games were canceled, though the Rec Council offered T-shirts to anyone documenting themselves doing one of the games with their “isopod.”

Many who rent their properties for some or all of the summer have suffered from the quarantine requirements, although the allowance for negative testing may have helped ease some of that challenge.

So it isn’t a summer like we typically have, and the economic implications of that can’t be denied. But on a personal level, there are a surprising number of things I’ve found this summer that are different, but good in their own way.

For example, I went through all of the stages of grief when I learned that Calderwood Hall would only be open for takeout this summer. Some of my chief joys since they opened six years ago has been lingering there in the morning with a baked good and a hot or iced chai, writing, or gathering with friends for lunch with all our kids tangled together in the play corner. Or dinner, with a glass of cold rosé or an inventive cocktail and a crowded table of pizzas and salads. I miss it!

But getting takeout through their extremely safe and efficient curbside system and bringing it home, often to eat outside on a picnic blanket, is also good. Just different. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention another excellent takeout option, Sherry’s Kitchen on Vinalhaven. I hope that when things calm down, I can still get excellent Indian food delivered to me via boat!

My daughter fully mourned the lack of a Waterman’s camp this summer.

She was looking forward to outdoor adventures with her friends. Instead, however, we’ve been able to deeply explore the woods around our house.

We discovered a patch of currants, growing near what we call the “persistent tree,” a birch that’s grown in a

strange “S” curve; closely examined all manner of insects and spiders; sat on the porch and drew plants; and we spend countless hours in our gardens and new greenhouse, so we can enjoy their leaves, fruits, and roots later this summer.

We’ve also been able to spend much more time together as a family, much of it at beaches and swimming holes, which have been uncrowded even during our June heat wave. I’m training for a 3-mile swim as part of the LifeFlight fundraiser, an individual challenge rather than a group swim from Lincolnville to Islesboro, and Penrose got a kayak for her birthday.

Bill often uses my paddleboard and the three of us can enjoy the water together. Ordinarily we would both likely be working, or certainly busier with shows and summer jobs. This is different, but very good.

Seeing friends isn’t off the table, but playdates have largely shifted out of doors, which is just fine. I’m happy to sit on a blanket, six feet from my friends, while our kids roam the beach looking for the sand dollar shells left after a recent migration, or visit on a porch, or share a takeout picnic.

Bait Bag, my band, has had shows canceled through September.

Waterman’s Community Center closed its physical building, other than the ATM lobby and a coffee shop window.

But, working with director Tara Elliott, who had been hired to direct their summer show before things went cuckoo, they put together a reading of Do You Read Me?, a brand-new work by Kathryn Funkhouser, designed to be performed over video chat. I had the pleasure of participating, and it was genuinely fun.

Very different, and very good.

We’re lucky, dare I say privileged, to have it this good. Millions are facing unemployment, housing and food uncertainty, and we have lost beloved local businesses. But if I didn’t also pause for gratitude for what we do have, and instead complained about what we don’t, I’d be remiss. This summer is very different, and I still mourn what we don’t have. But there is still so much that is very good.

Courtney Naliboff teaches, writes, plays music, and raises her daughter on North Haven.

Journal of an Island Kitchen

Let us be thankful for lettuce This leafy vegetable thrives on cool islands

By Sandy Oliver ‘TIS LETTUCE season for certain on-island. We are devouring the first planting of lettuce, which has turned into heads of glorious size, while the second planting is sizing up nicely, and the third has just been planted out to the garden from their nursery flats in the hoop house. The fourth planting is just barely emerging from potting soil. We are good for three or four more plantings.

One great joy of island living is cool enough weather that lettuce thrives all summer long—usually. If we are lucky enough to have ripe tomatoes in August, and this year we might even manage ripe ones in July, we can anticipate lettuce to go with them, as in B.L.T.s or lettuce salad with tomato chunks in it. Inland, the lettuce resists germinating or bolts in sufficient heat to ripen tomatoes.

Because it is so easy for me to grow lettuce, I routinely overdo it. An enormous salad every night for supper, plus leftover salad for lunch or sandwiches so stuffed with lettuce that we have to unhinge our jaws to get around it, doesn’t quite work through enough lettuce to outrun the supply.

Of course, there is always our little farmer’s market right around the corner from my place where I can unload nearly a dozen heads in a couple hours.

But then, what to do with the heads that don’t sell?

For starters, thank goodness for grilled lettuce. It is meant for Romaine style heads which are tall and cylindrical and can be laid on the grill and turned like a giant green sausage. One paints the long leaves with olive oil and cooks the head over a medium flame until it is nicely wilted, a little bit charred, and can be served in chunks on each plate.

I have grilled or broiled, depending on my mood and the weather, fluffier heads of lettuce until they are tender and then I shred it on a platter and dribble salad dressing all over it.

That, of course, is a variation on the very old recipe of wilted lettuce made by heating bacon fat or vinegar and dribbling it over lettuce with a sprinkle of sugar on top. Imagine how yummy that would taste with crumbled bacon sprinkled over the lettuce as well.

Cooked lettuce historically found its way into soups, too, especially ones for fast days like this one from Hannah Glasse, 1747, entitled “soop meager,”

but hardly meager with butter, onions, celery, spinach, parsley, and “a good Lettice clean washed,” and water for broth, thickened with a little flour, dry bread crumbs, and seasoned with pepper and mace, then finished with beaten egg yolks and a dash of vinegar. If you have green peas, you can add them.

If you aren’t fasting, use chicken broth.

Mrs. Glasse also suggested serving simmered lettuce with a nicely fried egg served on top. That reminds me of Egg Florentine which is cooked spinach with an egg nestled in it. When I have too much spinach, I make a salad of spinach chiffonade—ribbons of spinach tossed with fine couscous and dressed with lemon cream with dill and chives. That’s worth trying on lettuce, too, practically a main dish by itself, or a nice accompaniment to a piece of chicken or fish.

Once I got past the raw imperative with lettuce, all the cooked lettuce dishes helped me cut a super-abundance of lettuce down to size. I suppose I could reduce the amount of lettuce I grow, but those little seeds are so tiny that it is hard not to end up with a couple dozen seedlings in a very short row. It seems murderous to discard the extras. And besides, it is so much fun to have three

or four different kinds of lettuce at one time: butterheads, big leafy red and greens, all red, or speckled in different loose head or compact forms.

Then there are the volunteers which spring up where I let a lettuce or two go to seed, and which produce the very earliest because the seed in its own wisdom chooses the best moment to germinate, not relying on a faulty opinion of mine about when the right time has arrived to sprout.

According to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center (found online), lettuce is produced in many states but California and Arizona dominate U.S. production. You know what is going on in those places right now. I bet Maine islands with any decent soil could grow enough lettuce for themselves and summer residents, too, all summer long. So what are we doing with all that California and Arizona in our fridges?

Sandy Oliver is a food historian who gardens, cooks, and writes on Islesboro.

www.workingwaterfront.com . August 2020

19

Frenchboro school sends students home to garden Project yields unexpected harvest of learning and food

By Robin Chernow WHEN I MOVED to Maine four years ago, I quickly observed that Mainers are resourceful, creative problem-solvers. I have noticed this is particularly true of islanders, who, by necessity, take extra care to think about resources available on-island and how and when they come and go.

When COVID-19 made its way to Maine, residents carefully adapted behaviors and systems to reduce the strain on our healthcare systems and stores. Schools shifted to remote learning, and families stayed home, except for essential work and tasks like grocery shopping.

But imagine needing to go to the mainland to get your groceries. That’s a reality for several islands, including Frenchboro, which has no grocery store on-island and relies on a single roundtrip car ferry each week.

Frenchboro teacher Laura Venger explains: “With no store on the island and a limited ferry schedule, Frenchboro has always been host to home gardens, but the pandemic helped refocus the importance of growing food locally,” she said.

When school began using remote learning, Island Fellow Natalie Hyde-Peterson and Venger agreed they could continue the planned garden program, if they provided equipment for students at their homes.

“We got parents and administration on board, then ordered raised beds, seeds, organic soil, and much needed crop cages to keep the deer out.

We wanted students to have the most successful experiences possible in growing their own food,” Venger said.

This example of swift problem-solving, collaboration, and creativity addressed both curricular and community needs.

Hyde-Peterson described the challenge.

“It was interesting to go from gardening at school, where activities are packaged and curated for everything to go smoothly with a group, to sending garden kits home where suddenly every student was responsible for every aspect of their own garden,” she said.

“There were no teachers or adult volunteers— besides parents—doing work behind the scenes and trying to interpret tasks for different grade

levels,” she explained. “Every student had to learn how to grow all of their crops from start to finish and maintain a healthy garden.”

Students embraced a new level of responsibility and independence working on their home raised beds, referencing a “Gardener’s Handbook” Natalie had written as a resource, and meeting weekly with Ms. Venger and Natalie to provide progress updates. Throughout their projects, students practiced math and geometry, ecology and engineering, and presentation skills, while also growing fresh produce.

Seventh-grade student Breanna shared an unexpected challenge: “The crop cage kept on blowing away but I solved the problem. The buckets that were holding the rocks kept slipping off of the crop cage, but now I use a sand bag and a grocery bag with rocks in it to hold it down and it’s been doing great.”

In May, Frenchboro students virtually presented their garden projects to peers on Monhegan, Cliff, Isle au Haut, and the Cranberry Isles. All part of the Outer Islands Teaching and Learning Collaborative (TLC), these one room schools already collaborate for virtual book groups, student council, holiday parties, and in-person field trips.

During presentations, Breanna taught about the square foot method, dividing the area of her raised bed into square feet to determine how many and what kinds of crops she would have space to grow. Fourth-grade students MaKayla and Chloe explained how they assembled the raised beds and the importance of site selection.

Students observed potential locations, taking photos every hour to ensure there was enough sunlight. Presentations concluded with time for questions from TLC peers Of course, we all asked what the students chose to grow. They shared excellent advice: grow what you like to eat! Radishes, carrots, lettuce, green beans, yum!

Breanna shared an update in July: “I have been getting lots of lettuce and my tomato plant is flowering. My lettuce tasted great—it was the best lettuce I ever had. My family makes salad almost every night using our garden lettuce.”

As students’ families eat veggies from their own

Makayla shows off her harvest. Students on Frenchboro add soil amendments to their garden plot. PHOTOS: COURTESY LAURA VENGER

gardens, the broader Frenchboro community also accesses fresh local produce. This spring, while the students grew produce at home, Hyde-Peterson increased production at the already established school gardens, and by early July had already provided over 30 pounds of fresh produce to the Frenchboro community.

Robin Chernow is a community development officer with the Island Institute, focusing on education.

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The Working Waterfront . August 2020

Field Notes

The leader has the seat with the view

A new way to understand what leading means has emerged

By Karen Burns THE PASSAMAQUODDY word for leadership is nihkanke. The literal translation of that word is “the one who paddles in the front of the canoe.”

I clearly remember when I first heard this word and learned its cultural context. I was at a leadership seminar for island leaders, sponsored by the Island Institute.

Linda Cross Godfrey, founder of the Atlantic Leadership Center in Eastport, shared a story about asking David Francis, the honored tribal elder who was working on creating the Passamaquoddy dictionary, for the definition of leadership. In Passamaquoddy language tradition, concepts are presented in a way that listeners can imagine and relate to a real action or experience they already understand. She explained that the Passamaquoddy language is made up of very long words that establish the whole context, setting, and experience, and nihkanke is the smallest version of the entire concept of leadership.

For a small word, nihkanke had a profound impact on me.

The vision I had of leadership to this point was Washington crossing the Delaware—a man standing and shouting directions, while the rest of the people sat rowing, a level below.

Nihkanke portrayed all sitting on the same level, rowing together, while the leader used his or her oar to provide power and his or her view to provide insight for what lies ahead. This is what has stuck with me.

This new way of considering leader- above all, communication. They speak ship was contrary to everything I had with one voice to the community. This allows hard choices to not be attributed ever read or seen.

And this kind of leadership, vividly to a single person or organization.

I conducted interviews in three articulated by the Passamaquoddy, has been the most effective in our commu- communities that were responding, nities during this pandemic. The from my vantage point, effectively, communities that have been proac- to learn more about this approach. I immediately noticed tive and demonstrated that everyone I spoke resilience during this to used the words “we” time have not had a or “us,” and never “I” single leader. Instead, or “they.” They talked they’ve had a group of I conducted about gathering inforpower rowers moving interviews in three mation from multiple ahead in sync, with stakeholders, but deferskilled and thoughtful communities that ring decisions to the leaders taking turns were responding, most knowledgeable in providing insight from the group. the front of the canoe. from my vantage The town would In the past few point, effectively... never tell the medical months, in Maine’s center or the school island and coastal what to do (or vice communities, “emerversa), but all were gency operation teams” or other similarly named groups have given the opportunity and did weigh in formed. These have been coordinated with ideas and resources.

When asked about decision making, by different people. In some cases, it was the town manager or head of the there was a theme of “one voice.” board of selectmen, in others the head Whatever the decision was, no matter of a nonprofit group, and others a how contentious the process was behind closed doors, it was communiskilled volunteer coordinator.

Although the formal role of leader cated as the decision of the group.

And communication was key. From is different in each case, the function and operation of the group is strikingly daily emails, to Facebook posts, to similar. A group of decision makers have open information sessions, each emercome together to coordinate, communi- gency group recognized that having the cate, and use each other as a sounding entire community receive a steady flow of accurate information was as imporboard in unprecedented situations.

They focus on coordinated deci- tant, if not more so, than the policy and sion making, sharing resources, and procedure decisions they were making.

At the onset of the pandemic, the Maine Islands Coalition, a group of leaders from each of Maine’s yearround island communities, increased its meeting schedule from four times a year to weekly. Representatives gathered with topic experts and nonprofit partners to attempt to navigate this unprecedented new reality. Although each island community is unique, there were many shared challenges and resources that were quickly identified. Island leaders from each community showed up at the table to share and learn. This group has demonstrated the power of shared leadership, open communication, and willingness to collaborate.

Our communities have had to face tremendous challenges in the past few months, but they have shown incredible capacity for effective leadership.

In both the emergency response teams and the Maine Islands Coalition, there was no George Washington identified. Just a rotating cast of paddlers, taking turns in the front of the canoe, some more often than others. Each leader focused on coordination, communication, and moving the canoe towards a more resilient community in the face of crisis.

Karen Burns is chief talent officer for the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront.

Observer

It’s a wet and wild world for this old man Young ‘delinquents’ take aim on gray-haired islander

By Phil Crossman I’M HAVING a little trouble with the younger crowd here on the island, particularly boys but some girls too.

Some guys my age might be upset by such delinquent behavior, such aggression—and it is aggression; make no mistake about it. It’s as if they get a kick out of harassing an old man, out of ambushing and ganging up on him.

I’m not troubled—bring it on!

A few weeks ago, I made the rounds at an island flea market and stopped at one particularly appealing table that featured salted peanuts and homemade honey. The goods were arranged on the tailgate of his pick-up and I was so enthusiastic, especially about the nuts, that I let my guard down for a minute and at that moment, one of the aforementioned culprits darted out from behind the truck and attacked me.

I should have known better. This is most determined of these island delinnot my first rodeo. I did manage to quents, however, was a boy in my regain my composure and give him a neighborhood who climbed up to the run for his money, but for a while it roof of my entryway by jumping from the top of my recently delivered woodwas a near thing.

On another occasion, I walked pile, and waiting there for me to leave by the patio dining area of a local the house. I don’t know how long he waited but it was effective. restaurant. I exchanged And now, this year pleasantries with a few particularly, the parents of those enjoying dinner, Each challenged actually seem to be including one family of me to a fight— encouraging them. A several adults and two young mother not long youngsters, a boy and right in front of ago called me over to the a girl. Each challenged their parents… other side of the street me to a fight—right in where she appeared to front of their parents need help lifting somewho, rather than exert some parental control, seemed to be thing. She needed no such thing, enjoying the hostility as much as their needed nothing in fact but was simply drinks and did nothing to rein them in. a co-conspirator with her son who I think what my own folks would jumped gleefully out of the shadows have done if I’d behaved that way with a squirt gun in each hand and toward a (considerably) elder. The managed to inflict quite a bit of injury

before I was able to pull my own weapon out of my jeans pocket and give nearly as good as I got.

And now a young family with two particularly troublesome kids, a son and daughter, has moved into the neighborhood. The other day an island lady had them out for a walk and stopped at the edge of my lawn to chat.

The kids were hostile and threatening and later on she sent me a message alerting me to the fact that the two were planning an attack. She even forwarded photos of them appearing to be loading weapons from a lawn pool.

Things are looking up!

Phil Crossman lives on Vinalhaven where he serves on the town select board.

www.workingwaterfront.com . August 2020

21

Cranberry Report

Bringing it all back home

Virus spurs thoughts of retirement, home-based business

By Barbara Fernald IT SURE IS a different summer in the Cranberry Isles. Some people have chosen not to come to the islands this summer, considering the risk factors of traveling long distances during a pandemic.

I missed one summer on Islesford, when I was 20, and I still remember what it felt like. No fun. Others have arrived on the islands earlier than usual.

Thanks to our high-speed internet, they were able to complete semesters of teaching and take virtual classes while waiting out their 14-day quarantine.

They arrived for the long-haul, figuring if you can work from your home, you can work from your island home, too.

I already work from home, so it seemed that the isolating qualities of this pandemic would not impact my work habits. I mean, what jewelry designer couldn’t use a little more studio time?

Woo-hoo!

My reaction was the opposite. The more I tried to design and make jewelry, the worse I felt. It rapidly sapped my energy whenever I tried to make it work.

On my 67th birthday, after a month

of beating myself up for “not getting market. They show up in the shade by anything done when I had all the time 3 p.m., and as our friend Jasmine said, in the world to do it,” I decided I would “those Bar Road mosquitos are no joke!” give myself the summer off. It could As of this writing we’ve only had the be a tryout retirement, or a five month market twice. We had seven sellers the first Thursday, and eight sabbatical.

Whatever last week. Our motto is I called it, I needed to “no two weeks the same!” introduce some joy and We are celebrating the rest into my anxious state.

If you can work unpredictability from I talked with my friend from your home, week to week. and neighbor, Mary, The variety of items about it. It turned out you can work from the last two markets she was going through from your island has included: breads, similar feelings about her English muffins, scones, job. She, too, needed a home, too. doughnuts, cookies, break. We mused about brownies, whoopie pies, having a little farm-type whole pies, lettuces, stand on our road to sell flower bouquets, herbs, bread and baked goods, perhaps one day a week. We both like artwork, granola, crackers, hummus, to bake bread so it seemed like just the boursin cheese, cloth face masks, recycled tote bags, and oyster accessories kind of fun we were looking for.

We mentioned the idea to a few and T-shirts.

Most baked goods sell out quickly. friends, met in a distanced manner on a Sunday afternoon, and the Bar Road Mary also uses the market time Market was born. We decided to try to take bread orders from people Thursdays from noon to 2 p.m. and we for the following week. As the could reassess at any time. Though the season moves along we expect mosquitoes have not yet been bad, we to have more produce available. considered them in the timing of the A few vendors are passing along

some of their proceeds to various non-profit organizations. So far, the Islesford Neighborhood House, the Indigo Arts Alliance, and the Somali Bantu Community Association have benefitted. They are all organizations in Maine.

I don’t think anyone is looking to make much money with a twohour market once a week, but we are having fun and trying to spread some good energy around. We are also not exclusive. We welcome anyone who wants to come and set up their own table to join us. People are usually setting up around 11:30 a.m.

My husband, Bruce, has been saying all spring he wants to try making doughnuts. The Bar Road Market is just the nudge he needs to make it a reality. He sees what fun looks like in this summer of masks and distance, because it’s happening right in his front yard.

Barbara Fernald lives on Islesford (Little Cranberry Island).

Fathoming

A summer of uncertainty for lobstering

Pandemic, tariffs tell complicated story for Maine’s iconic seafood

By Meghan Grabill LOBSTERING IS a dangerous, difficult business, and not just for the harvesters who risk their lives to bring their catch to shore. Many factors influence how lucrative the lobster industry will be in any year. Ultimately, these factors influence the profits throughout the supply chain, from dock to dinner plate.

Around 80 percent of the U.S. lobster catch is landed in Maine, with the rest caught in Massachusetts and the other coastal New England states.

Over the past two decades, lobster landings in Maine have more than doubled, yet Canada lands about twice as much lobster as Maine does— together, Canada and Maine land some 300-350 million pounds annually.

Finding a market for lobster takes work and is dependent on several factors, including global trade relations. China had become a large market for Maine lobster. Between June 2017 and June 2018, U.S. lobster sales to China totaled $182 million, which is 27 percent of total U.S. lobster exports to international markets (see “Waypoints: Connect” for more data facts about the coast).

The species Homarus americanus entering China would normally face a 7 percent tariff. In 2018, China levied an

additional 25 percent retaliatory tariff, upping that to 35 percent in September 2019, making the total tariff 42 percent on live lobster, effectively closing the market to U.S. exporters.

Since 2018, lobster exports to China have decreased more than 65 percent.

Canada and China trade relations remain positive, with China importing lobster from Canada instead of the U.S. Canada also enjoys a healthy trade agreement with the European Union (EU).

In 2017, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the EU eliminated the tariffs on lobster for Canada, while the 16 percent to 20 percent tariffs for valued-added lobsters are being reduced, and will eventually go to zero. U.S. lobster exports still maintain the original tariff schedule.

Other major outlets for Maine lobsters are restaurants, casinos, and cruise ships. With the COVID-19 pandemic and the necessary shutdowns for health and safety came the closure and grounding of these traditional lobster markets. In a more typical year, around 30 percent of the lobster supply would be consumed in one of these three types of establishments.

The global economic downturn caused by COVID-19 will also hurt the

industry. While economists disagree on the severity and length of the downturn, they agree the slump will continue for the foreseeable future.

Lobster is seen as a luxury item. For those experiencing economic hardship, lobster is unlikely to be on a shopping list.

A final way the pandemic lockdowns have affected the lobster industry is in causing labor shortages for processors. Processing facilities often require employees to work in relatively close proximity and so cannot provide social distancing precautions. Secondly, unemployment benefits being offered are sometimes higher than the wage employers can offer. And some jobs in the supply chain have been held by migrant workers, now hindered in their movement due to federal and state restrictions.

This is not the first time the industry has faced these challenges. In 2008 the global economic crisis depressed demand and the price of lobster. In 2012 an early shed due to a warmer than average winter and spring resulted in an oversupply of lobster causing price deflation. Subsequently, dealers and distributors worked to develop new markets.

But the weakened price spurred strong domestic and international

demand. Another warm year in 2015 did not result in a weakened price because markets had been expanded.

Over the years, the lobster industry has faced threats to its traditional way of operating. From a near complete collapse in the early 20th century, to the battle for the effective conservation practices won by fishermen, the industry stood resilient and emerged stronger and smarter.

Now climate change, right whale protections, potential bait shortages, tariffs, supply chain disruptions, and the pandemic are all concerns the industry must confront. But the fishermen aren’t alone. Maine is a state that recognizes the creative, forwardthinking, tenacious fishermen, dealers, processors, and distributors who stand ready to address these new challenges and fight to ensure this critical part of Maine’s economy persists.

Meghan Grabill is community development officer focusing on data analytics and translation for the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront.

22

The Working Waterfront . August 2020

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Save Maine’s Lobster Industry One of the world’s most sustainable fisheries could be shut down and we cannot let that happen.

Right whales are not dying in Maine lobster gear.

Patrice McCarron, executive director Maine Lobstermen’s Association

• The federal government has violated the Endangered Species Act. • The Maine lobster fishery could be shut down.

• This could mean the end of the lobstering tradition for our children.

The MLA is raising $500,000 for the Legal Defense Fund to save Maine’s lobster industry.

Donate Online: www.mainelobstermen.org Donate By Mail: MLA LDF, 2 Storer St, Ste 203, Kennebunk ME 04043

Maine Lobstermen’s Association Legal Defense Fund

7/1/2020

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The Working Waterfront . August 2020

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