Small Agency, Big Results

We think of them as the “Little Engine that Could” —  Cobscook Bay Resource Center

They’re located way up north, in Eastport, ME, the easternmost city in the United States. It’s a beautiful spot on the Bay of Fundy in the Gulf of Maine, perhaps best known for its productive scallop fishery.

With just two staff (Executive Director Will Hopkins and Heidi Leighton) and a dedicated board of directors, the Resource Center has had a dramatic impact on the lives of local fishermen, bringing them together to have a say in their own future as fisheries’ regulators, tidal power advocates, and a challenging economy threaten their way of life.

The Foundation has been following and funding the work of the Resource Center since 2002. Now they are close to realizing a long-held dream: the creation of the Cobscook Marketplace, pictured above. The new, shared-use facility will house a licensed commercial kitchen and a marketing co-operative where local fishermen and farmers can add value to their products, meet with and sell direct to the consumer, and receive entrepreneurial training and business assistance.

The facility will also provide a permanent home for the Resource Center staff and a community meeting place.

There’s still some additional work to be done and money to be raised but they hope to test out the kitchen this fall. It’s an impressive accomplishment for the Resource Center and a great benefit for the local community.