Daniel Vogel of Piseco, N.Y., is the newest member of the Maine Marine Patrol. He will be serving in the Stonington area.

The effort to convert the dormant rail line into a trail began in 1987. The Sunrise Trail Coalition formed later to allow users and other stakeholders to have a voice in the plans. The two goals were to provide a place for healthy outdoor recreation and to spur economic development.

The sea urchin harvest season began Oct. 1 and continues through March 3.

The shift to seaweed along the bottom of the Gulf of Maine is good for both lobster and crabs.

Healthy, nature-honoring apple cider made with neighbors tastes best

An older gentleman from Kitkata, Japan leaned over to me and said, “The social system was built long before the pyramids were raised.”

In the Arctic, islanders are being forced to abandon the land where they’ve lived for generations, because eroding coastlines and rising sea levels have made their homes uninhabitable. As permafrost melts and the ice retreats, they are losing the fishing and hunting on which their livelihood depends.

Nancy Prisk, a long-time seasonal resident who has been living fulltime in Southport since 2007, saw the opportunity to secure public use of the house to serve social and educational needs. Last year Prisk formed Land for Southport’s Future as a nonprofit, and is working to raise the $849,000 the town hopes to earn from the sale.

A grant from the Maine Coastal Program will allow regulators to more precisely identify what areas of the Washington County coast need to be closed to shellfish harvesting after heavy rains.