2026 Annual Meeting Held June 2nd
The 2026 Annual meeting was held on June 2nd at the Nathanial Greene Community Center. In his final meeting as President and Chairman of the Light Brigade, Dr. Anthony Coppola shared a bright outlook for the future of Faukner’s Island and the Lighthouse including the recent announcement of the release of the first federal funds to initiate Phase 2 of the Faulkner Island Erosion Control project. Funding was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives sponsored by Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-3rd District.
Following the update, members of the US Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound provided a presentation on the work of the Aids to Navigation Team. USCG ANT is responsible for all buoys and lights (including lighthouses) in Long Island Sound. The team has several boats and vessels and works year around to adjust and repair several hundred navigation markers. Boaters are encouraged to report and missing, damaged or out of position buoys to the team (206.815.6907) as they rely on public input of issues to address. The Faulkner Lighthouse is visited annually by ANT to check the light, batteries and solar panels. It was noted that since switching to an LED light in 2014, they have not had to change the bulb in the lighthouse.
Joel Helander presentation 5/6/2025
The 2025 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.