Friends of Seguin Island Light Station
(FOSILS)
Request for Sponsorship Donation
FOSILS is requesting a sponsorship donation to be applied to the preservation, improvements, and continued operations on Seguin Island. Sitting 2.5 miles off the mouth of the Kennebec River, Seguin Island and its Light Station is a symbol of the rich history and heritage of shipbuilding, commerce, and communities along this river.
BACKGROUND
Seguin Island is the site of Maine’s 2nd oldest lighthouse. The light station was commissioned by George Washington in 1795 and was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places on March 8, 1977.
The current light station, erected in 1857, with its 1st order Fresnel Lens has the “highest” focal point of all operational lighthouses in Maine. This spectacular Fresnel Lens is the only 1st order lens north of Block Island, Massachusetts. Visiting the island changes your perspective with unique views of Mid-Coast Maine and stunning vistas of Popham Beach, Georgetown and Reid State Park. On particularly clear days, you may see Monhegan Island, Pemaquid Point, Cape Elizabeth, and even Mount Washington!
Maintained by Friends of Seguin Island Light Station, Seguin Island is on the Maine Island Trail (MITA.org) and hosts 5 hiking trails, historical buildings, tram, museum, gift shop, and in-season tours of the tower. For members of FOSILS, there are guest quarters, moorings, and a campground to enjoy an overnight. A visit to Seguin Island with its rich history and legacy sets you back to a place where the clock just doesn’t seem to be as important anymore and the rhythms of the day, the weather, and the ocean take over.
FOSILS STRATEGIC PLANNING
In December 2023 the Board of Directors was reorganized with the recognition that the status quo was not keeping up with the needs of preserving the historical features of the light station. The new board started by forming a strategic plan.
Our 3-year plan was generated in the winter of 2024 and updated in January 2025 as part of an annual cycle to review our progress, maintain our focus into the future, and adapt to any changes to our operating environment.
Our top-level elements of our plan are listed below:
| 2025 FOSILS STRATEGIC PLAN | ||
| Business Dimension | Target | |
| A) Procedures | 1.1 | Procedures are reviewed and updated to reflect organizational practices |
| 1.2 | Develop/Map locations of procedures | |
| B) Facilities | 2.1 | Major progress is made from 2024 list of projects |
| 2.2 | Dock in place to facilitate visitors | |
| 2.3 | Facilities are completely updated for visitor enjoyment and safety | |
| 2.4 | Material for repairs and upgrades easily transported up to station | |
| 2.5 | Moorings are well managed and maintained | |
| 2.6 | Develop 2025 Island transportation plan | |
| 2.7 | Implement Station Keeper | |
| C) Equipment | 3.1 | Computer files and information flow up to date, mapped, and integrated |
| 3.2 | Office equipment up to date with technology within reasonable budget constraints | |
| 3.3 | FOSILS has equipment necessary to participate in community events and functions | |
| D) People | 4.1 | Board of directors numbers sufficient to support accomplishment of strategic plan |
| 4.2 | Solicit Member involvement in activities | |
| 4.3 | FOSILS actively present at community events and functions | |
| E) Financial | 5.1 | Budgets realistic and established for all segments of operation |
| 5.2 | Capital plan successfully achieving significant donations | |
| F) Legislative | 6.1 | Organization functioning to the requirements internal procedures |
| 6.2 | Organization functioning to the National Historic Landmark requirements | |
| 6.3 | BoD forecasting future requirements changes and incorporating into future annual plan |
Each year the operational dimensions above are reviewed and specific actions developed for the coming year. To accomplish the actions for the coming year, a budget forecast is developed and rolled into our capital plan.
3 YEAR CAPITAL PLAN FOR SEGUIN STATION
In 2024 concern over the safety of our tower’s parapet railing resulted in closing the tower’s deck to visitors. Our primary capital plan was to raise funding to address the issues to reopen the parapet deck in 2025 and we accomplished this. Our deck will be open to escorted visitors in 2025 and a fund has been established to ensure future issues with our deck can be quickly addressed.
2025
DOCK SYSTEM – The most aggressive project ever taken on by FOSILS. Visitors currently must land on the rocky beach to visit the island. We currently host approximately 2,000 guests each summer who must land ashore, usually in a dinghy in such a way to account for the 9 foot tides for the duration of their visit. Our goal is to make our island more accessible and safer for visitors with a well designed dock system. We now have a design and are now working the permit system in Augusta. Our estimated cost for this project is $675,000 which is now the focus of our capital drive.
STATION KEEPER – A goal of FOSILS is to extend our functions to the community. As part of this goal, FOSILS has taken on a role in protecting the North American Right Whale. Seguin Island Light Station is the first lighthouse in the United States to be a relay station for a system known as Station Keeper. Station Keeper monitors shipping speeds of commercial shipping in the region of Casco Bay and advises large ships to lower their speed to less than 10 knots in the Right Whale protection area. At slower speeds ships have more time to maneuver around pods of whales as well as the whales having time to get out of the way. Motion Info, the developers of Station Keeper, has been working with NOAA to expand this system along the entire Atlantic coastline. With the turmoil in Washington DC, Motion Info has committed to continue this protection effort and FOSILS intends to continue to support Motion Info in this worthy cause.
2026 and Beyond
FOSILS has identified future endeavors which still need analysis and funding including;
- Tramway repairs. Seguin Station has the longest tramway on any of the lighthouses in the northeast. Originally built in the 1890s to haul coal up the 160 elevation to the keeper’s house and whistle house, this tramway is historically critical as well as needing to be functional to move repair and maintenance materials up to the station safely.
- Keepers house windows. There are 24 windows in the keeper’s house which were installed when the Coast Guard ran the station in the 1980s/1990s. These windows were not made to survive the harsh marine environment and are badly in need of replacement. As a National Historic Site, FOSILS must install windows which comply with national historic standards. Current estimate for fabrication, transportation, and installation is $10,000/window. Safely transporting these windows from a boat to a dock, and up to the house drives the sequence of capital events in our strategic plan.
- Additional goals. As opportunities arise, our smaller projects are also underway. These include;
Upgrading Keepers’ House water systems – Reverse osmosis systems being evaluated
Removal of old coal furnace and repairs to basement, including asbestos abatement
Repairing Boat House and related infrastructure and adding it as an island display area
Additional historical interpretive signage
SUMMARY
In the short period since the Board of Directors reorganization, FOSILS has developed a sound, and very aggressive, plan to move forward. In addition to the projects above, FOSILS annual operating budget for day-to-day operations including insurance is in the neighborhood of $100,000 per year. Sponsorship donations, help FOSILS to maintain the complexity of preserving this historic landmark, improving its educational contribution, and serving the Kennebec and Casco Bay community.
Thank you,
Tip Koehler
Capital Campaign Chair
(207) 522-1690
SPONSOR LEVELS
Neptune: $100,000
Keeper: $50,000 – $99,000
Beacon: $10,000 – $49,999
Lamplighter: $1000 – $9,999
Anchor: < $1,000
SPONSOR BENEFITS
Sponsors will be recognized on our Corporate Sponsors web pages recommending patronage with a link to their web site
Annual Plaques with our Sponsors will be posted at the light station
Lamplighter and above Donors may reference their support of the Seguin and Right Whale preservation project in their advertising
Beacon and above donors to specific projects will be recognized on project plaques posted in the on-island museum entryway
