J.W. Oliver

A family's decision to forgo a payday from developers and instead offer their Great Island woodlands to the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust at a $1.1 million discount stems from a commitment to conservation and a generational connection to the land.

Running Tide Technologies Inc. plans to expand its oyster hatchery at Mitchell Field and grow kelp there for what the startup, which is attracting nationwide press attention and millions of dollars in investment, boasts will become "the most efficient carbon removal system in the world."

The traditional ball-and-chain moorings in use throughout Maine damage ecologically important eelgrass beds. In Harpswell, an effort is underway to demonstrate how the replacement of these moorings with "conservation" moorings can allow eelgrass to regrow.

A new state law will establish a system to map eelgrass and salt marsh vegetation —aquatic plants important to the economy and environment as both "carbon sinks" and fish nurseries.

The Mt. Ararat High School community gathered Friday, Sept. 17 to celebrate the completion of a $60.7 million building project, including a brand-new high school.

The Maine Department of Transportation plans to reduce the speed limit in Cundy's Harbor to address residents' concerns about speeding in the village.

Local lobstermen say new restrictions from the federal government will harm their industry while failing to advance regulators' goal to save right whales from extinction.

The Maine School Administrative District 75 school board will have a special meeting Thursday, Sept. 16 to address members' concerns about a questionnaire regarding students' sexual activity and substance use.

The town expects to receive $519,000 from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan Act. Possible uses for the funds include equipment for first responders and a study to determine the feasibility of building affordable housing on town land.

Harpswell Heritage Land Trust plans to acquire 57.2 acres of woodlands on Great Island to protect water quality in Quahog Bay, a top conservation priority due to the bay's vulnerability.