Joel Helander presentation 5/6/2025
The annual membership meeting of The Faulkner’s Light Brigade was held on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Joel Helander, Guilford Town Historian and chairman/president emeritus of the Faulkner’s Light Brigade, presented a program entitled Faulkner’s Island: A Case for Preservation.
Faulkner’s Island in Long Island Sound has been revered by mariners and mainlanders on two coastlines for many generations. Its historic beacon light, dating to 1802, is an active aid to navigation maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard. The island itself is a beautiful wildlife refuge owned by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Helander’s program addressed the colorful history of the island, with special emphasis given to the complexities of the Faulkner’s Light Brigade’s campaign involving partner agencies at local, state, and federal levels, both public and private, to preserve the island from inevitable destruction by erosion. By 2001, the Brigade had galvanized forces to complete a $4.5 million erosion control project and $250,000 lighthouse restoration. Faulkner’s Island is a continuing case for preservation.
