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Harpswell Community Collaborates to Create Waterfront Community Guide

January 11, 2023|

Post shared courtesy of Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association

“Scuttlebutt: How to Live and Work in a Waterfront Community” is a collaborative effort among Harpswell organizations aimed at educating the current community and newcomers about living and working near the ocean. The partners in this effort are the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust (HHLT), the Holbrook Community Foundation, the Harpswell Anchor, and the Cundy’s Harbor Library.

Photo by Gina Caldwell, Harpswell Recreation

“Scuttlebutt” includes information about the different types of fisheries in Harpswell, ways that homeowners can minimize their impacts on the town’s coastal environment, tips for cooking local seafood, and information about preserving access for future generations to work on the waterfront along with many other resources. The title of the guide speaks to its intention to provide the insider information, or “scuttlebutt” to those living and working on Harpswell’s waterfront in order to foster a sense of community and shared values.

The guide was created following a series of panel presentations held in the fall of 2021 and spring of 2022, “Living and Working in a Waterfront Community: A Conversation Series.” These presentations were aimed at creating a dialogue for those in the community seeking to learn more about the town’s working waterfront and included a variety of topics including the seasonality of fisheries, fishing through the generations, access on the waterfront, and etiquette on the water. The panel presentations were accompanied by articles in the Harpswell Anchor as well as recorded for those interested in listening to the discussions after the event (linked above).

Copies of “Scuttlebutt” will be available at the HHLT office, the Cundy’s Harbor Library, and Harpswell’s Town Office and is also available online. If you are interested in learning more about the guide, or developing one in your community, please contact Monique Coombs, Director of Community Programs at MCFA, at .