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Save
Our Lights!
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American Lighthouse Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 565
Rockland,
Maine 04841
Phone: 207-594-4174
info@lighthousefoundation.org
The American Lighthouse Foundation is a
Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization dedicated to the preservation of America's historic lighthouses.
SEARCH ALF WEB
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Boon Island Lighthouse to
Nubble Light – By Way of Snorkeling the
Atlantic
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Some people believe in saving Maine’s lighthouses so much
that they will stop at nothing to help with their preservation, even if
it means taking to the waters of the Atlantic and snorkeling nearly 9
miles. On August 26, 2006, York resident Wendy Starkey is doing just
that in an effort to help the 11 Maine lighthouses under the care of the
nonprofit American Lighthouse Foundation, including Maine’s legendary
Boon Island Lighthouse, which is located off the coast of York and
Kittery.
“We are delighted that
Wendy has volunteered for this amazing feat to help us in
our preservation efforts for Maine's lighthouses,” says Timothy
Harrison,
president of the American |
ALF Photo
Wendy Starkey of York,
Maine, with Nubble Lighthouse
in the background
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Lighthouse Foundation, which
is headquartered in Wells, Maine. “This is the first fundraising event we
have had of this type, and one that we'd like to expand on in future years.”
The concept of helping save lighthouses by snorkeling the approximate 9 mile
distance from Boon Island to Nubble Light at Cape Neddick came about when
Ms. Starkey, an attorney with Erwin, Ott, Clark, Orso and Campbell in York,
talked with her good friend and law school classmate Sylvia Paneris, who
serves as the vice-president for the American Lighthouse Foundation.
“The event lends itself so well to lighthouses because it is being held
between the two of them,” said Starkey. “It seemed like a natural and |
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Boon Island Lighthouse, which is
under the care of the American
Lighthouse Foundation
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Sylvia was willing to get me started with her connections
and manage me, which is no small task. It has been the perfect fit from
my standpoint because the American Lighthouse Foundation has motivated
me to be involved with their efforts beyond this one fundraiser. Almost
as many people talk about what Boon Island is like as about the swim, so
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there has been interest in the lighthouse, and I have found
myself enjoying talking about that too.”
The American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF), a national leader in saving our
nation’s historic lighthouses, works very hard at trying to preserve Maine’s
rich lighthouse heritage for present and future generations. In addition to
the eleven lighthouses the organization has under its auspices within the
state, ALF also owns and operates the Museum of Lighthouse History in Wells,
which exhibits some of the rarest lighthouse artifacts found anywhere in the
country.
As a nonprofit, ALF relies heavily on the dedicated financial support of
statewide businesses and individuals in an effort to save Maine’s beloved |
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coastal beacons. Bob Trapani, Jr., executive director for
the American Lighthouse Foundation, notes, “Society is moving so fast
today that we seldom slow down enough to look around us and see that the
things we cherish most – like Maine’s historic lighthouses, are
presently in dire need of costly preservation efforts.”
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ALF Photo
(L to R) Wendy Starkey talks with
Steve Minich of News 8, WMTW TV
in Maine about her upcoming
snorkel for lighthouses
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Trapani goes on to say, “This is what makes Wendy’s snorkeling effort so
important to our cause, because it stops people in their tracks when they
learn of her courageous commitment, reminding Mainers that though
lighthouses seem steadfast and enduring along Maine’s rocky coastline, these
storm-battered icons cannot continue their benevolent vigil without the
financial support from fundraising events like this one and others.”
On August 26th Wendy Starkey will enter the water just off the
wave-swept ledge at Boon Island at 9:00 am and begin her snorkel to shore.
It is |
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Boon Island Light is Maine's
tallest lighthouse at a 137-feet
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anticipated that she will reach the land on the north
side of Nubble Light between 2:30 and 4:00 pm. Though Ms. Starkey is
excited at the challenge ahead of her, she is just as excited to begin
her quest in the shadow of 1855 Boon Island Light – Maine’s tallest
lighthouse at a 137 feet tall in height.
“Boon has become my favorite,” says Starkey. “It is a 19th
century engineering marvel and now when I look at it, I have even more
respect for not only the beacon, but also for its height, longevity and
its unique place out there – all alone. Since I was a child at Long
Sands, I remember seeing it. My brother |
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and I always automatically searched the horizon for it – even more so now
that I have been out there.”
Though Starkey has a special fondness for Boon Island Light, which is one of
the Maine lighthouses under the care of ALF, she also strongly believes in
the overall mission to save our state’s guiding lights. “Saving and
preserving lighthouses is so worthwhile, and I am especially enthusiastic
about publicly accessible lighthouses, which makes Boon Island a bit of a
contradiction, but believe it or not, I envision access to this lighthouse
someday too,” says Starkey.
She concludes by noting, “I have only been inside a few lighthouses, but the
concept of preserving them so that we can enjoy them and understand
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their important role in our heritage is as valid as
saving any historically significant building, especially unique ones.
People generally love lighthouses, and I think almost everyone would
agree that we are fortunate to have these kinds of treasures.”
Indeed, Maine residents and visitors to our state alike
are fortunate to have so many lighthouses to admire and cherish but if
we don’t act today to save them, these stately beacons will be lost to
the ravages of time and the elements. Timothy Harrison reminds us that,
“Lighthouses were built for one purpose – to save lives. Now it is the
lighthouse that needs saved. We must act today before it is too late.”
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ALF Photo
Wendy Starkey will snorkel
from Boon Island to Nubble Light to
help ALF lighthouses
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To become a sponsor call the
American Lighthouse Foundation at (207) 646-0245, use the PayPal button
below or this printable sponsor form:
Sponsor Wendy's Snorkel Form
Sponsor Levels:
Commissioner - $1,000
District Inspector - $500
Head Keeper - $250
1st Assistant Keeper - $100
2ndAssistant Keeper - $50
3rd Assistant Keeper - $25
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