Sam Lemonick

Starting this winter, crews could begin a multiple-year process to try to reverse harmful effects of agriculture on Long Marsh. If the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust and its partners are successful, the salt marsh will provide more habitat for animals and be more resilient to rising sea levels.

It's not exactly trash to treasure, but an old landfill behind Harpswell's current Transfer Station could be the site of a solar array that powers several nearby municipal buildings.

The Harpswell Lobster Boat Races raised a record $36,000 this year for the Harpswell Santa Fund, which distributes gifts, food, clothing and heating oil to residents in need.

Bus drivers for the local school district are pressing the school board to offer them competitive pay and benefits in order to end an ongoing driver shortage.

Clam diggers and other harvesters are reporting huge shellfish die-offs in mudflats around town. Harpswell's harbormaster and marine resources administrator, Darcie Couture, said it may be linked to a type of algae that's not toxic to humans but is known to kill shellfish.

Eider ducks and bald eagles that nest in and around Harpswell have high levels of PFAS chemicals following an August 2024 spill of firefighting foam on the former Brunswick Naval Air Station.

There was a time when lobsters were so abundant along the Maine coast that they could be plucked by hand from shallow water. Those days are long gone, but for most people — whose interactions with lobsters happen on plates and rolls — it might be hard to say how lobsters and the lobster industry are doing. Lobster rolls might cost more, like everything else, but they're still available.

Almost every lobsterman has the same answer about what they're paying too much for: "Everything." They are feeling the squeeze in every aspect: fuel, bait, traps, rope, insurance and more. The only thing that they say hasn't gone up is the price they get for their lobsters.