About

Monhegan Commons is an independent Internet site with no affiliation and/or support from any governmental entity. Non identified views or opinion may be assumed to be those of the site’s owner. The site is owned an maintained by Peter Boehmer. The costs of production are covered by free will offerings from supporters and income for advertising . Any deficits are covered by the owner.

A Word of Warning: Despite our efforts to be accurate, these pages may contain errors. We present this website to you with a good-faith representation that the information it contains is generally reliable. Information on this site should not be relied upon for legal purposes. If you need further information, we would encourage you to contact us directly or seek the advice of a professional.

Monhegan is not just an Island twelve miles off the coast of Maine. More importantly, there are as many Monhegans as there are minds and hearts that can conceive of it. Monhegan Commons is in search for the essence of Monhegan. Monhegan can be described, only in part, but never defined. Yet necessary elements include: its people, its community, its ecology, its industry, its culture, etc. It is, at heart, parochial because it is bonded to place. It is universal in that it is complete; it is a whole. Monhegan is geographically definable and the mind can comprehend it.
Monhegan Commons is the electronic outreach of the The New Monhegan Press. Monhegan Commons is a “commons”, every bit as much as the essential Island’s resources are held in common. As with any commons that is finite, as all are, growing population, increased personal and corporate wealth and expectations, governmental regulations and technology rapidly out strip those finite resources held in common. We need an alternative to the way we deal with “the commons” and exclude, up front, an elitist’s solution.

Monhegan Commons is an experiment in the exportation of cultural parochial values. Does it have anything to say to to those who perceive sophisticated materialism failing in its excesses? Can it be a vehicle which provides an alternative to unsustainable tourism at this local level? We have low expectations but think it is worth a try. Any ideas?

At the political level, this site aims at helping preserve local character against the bureaucratic onslaught of State and federal paperwork. An Island with sixty year round souls of all ages is ill equipped to deal effectively with the ever increasing demands of sophisticated society expects. With luck, the site could become an electronic interface and data repository for local and state governments and the private sector as they interact with the Island. The work of “the commons” must be accessible to all

The Internet itself is an experiment. What its impact on Monhegan is the question We recognize there are many different points of view on this matter and welcome your thoughts on the subject (as they relate to the Island). These opinions will be considered. As with any experiment, it is our guess that the results will be both good and bad. “Going back”, on a voluntarily basis, seems like an unrealistic option. Better to go forward with flexibility, concern, good will, and responsibility. If we are a “commons”, we have a mutual interest in the outcome of this effort.

No part of Monhegan Commons may be used for commercial or advertising purposes with out written consent from Peter Boehmer

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