June 8 – The past, present and future of Portland’s working waterfront were on display Saturday in a variety of events and exhibits that provided unusual public access to the city’s increasingly valuable harbor resources.
Locals and visitors from across the country were on hand for the ninth annual Walk the Working Waterfront, an interactive open house showcasing the fishermen, seafood producers and wholesalers, restaurants, nonprofits and other Commercial Street purveyors who call Portland Harbor home , are brought to your attention.
Participants braved brief rain showers to explore the piers and wharves along the edge of the old harbor and spot fishing boats and coast guard vessels. The largely admission-free afternoon events aimed to raise awareness of the critical infrastructure on the city’s waterfront by giving people behind-the-scenes access and first-hand experiences.
“Today is a chance to go places you wouldn’t normally be able to see,” said Tom Meyers, president of the Waterfront Alliance of Portland Harbor, one of the sponsoring organizations.
Meyers said it was also an opportunity to learn more about the growing impact of climate change on sea level rise, which was the main topic of several demonstration and education stations along the waterfront.
With strings tied between posts, a display outside the Gulf of Maine Research Institute showed that sea levels along Commercial Street are expected to rise about 5 to 10 feet by 2050, which would flood most of the area. Increased flooding of yards, parking lots and buildings during recent storms has made scientists’ predictions more credible.
“We’re going to have to adapt or retreat from what we’re doing now,” Meyers said.
Bill Needelman, Portland’s waterfront coordinator, led several narrated walking tours along various wharves, introducing participants to the geography, history, economics and role of the working waterfront in the community.
“If we don’t protect infrastructure and water access, our communities will be increasingly at risk,” Needelman said as his first tour kicked off.
Portland’s waterfront has always been Wabanaki land, prized for thousands of years for the safety and abundance of the harbor, Needelman said. Over the years, ships, trains and trucks have expanded the reach of the waterfront, he said, but he pared down his definition of the resource.
“The waterfront is nothing but a line,” he said. “It exists to move people and things between water and land.”
Becky Thompson of Gorham, one of 35 people on Needelman’s first tour, said she attends Walk the Working Waterfront every year.
“It’s educational and fun,” she says. “And it’s nice to spend a day in Portland.”
Loren Bernardi of Arlington, Massachusetts, said he saw an announcement about Saturday’s event and decided to head north on short notice.
“I’m always looking for interesting day trips,” Bernardi said. “I enjoy coming to Portland and am interested in industrial history. I’m originally from the Midwest, so fishing and shipping are new to me.”
Jacqueline Van Meter of Portland was at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, where South Portland artist Nate Garrett demonstrated gyotaku, the traditional Japanese art of fish printing. Using a real sea bass smeared with green paint, Garrett Van Meter helped decorate a canvas tote bag with the print of a fish.
“My uncle is visiting and we were looking for something other than just the touristy stuff,” Van Meter said. “He’s an artist, so this was the perfect thing.”
The U.S. Coast Guard and its auxiliaries welcomed visitors to Wright’s Wharf, offering boat tours, navigational safety classes and recruiting opportunities. A Coast Guard helicopter flew from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to demonstrate aspects of a swimmer rescue.
“We are emphasizing the resiliency of our waterfronts,” said Theresa Torrent, a senior planner with the Maine Coastal Program, a primary funder of Saturday’s events. “Portland has worked very hard to maintain a mixed-use waterfront and we want to highlight those efforts.”
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