Having suffered millions in damages from this past winter’s coastal storms, the World Monument Fund will consider designating Maine’s lighthouses as threatened heritage sites.
Preservationist groups in Maine submitted the proposal as part of the 2025 World Monument Watch program organized by the fund.
Maine Preservation — a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Maine’s historic sites — submitted the proposal in conjunction with the American Lighthouse Association. The groups said the December and January storms caused millions in damages to the lighthouses caused by high winds and powerful waves.
“Now is the time to raise attention to them to think about ways to adapt and mitigate these issues of extreme weather, rising seas, [and] increased storms,” said Tara Kelly, executive director for Maine Preservation. “[We want] to make sure [the lighthouses] last for generations.”
The World Monument Watch program selects and highlights 25 historical sites around the world that are under threat. While a designation does not come with direct funding, the World Monument Fund said the visibility has helped raise $300 million in donations to more than 300 Watch sites.
“A lot of the times, the sites also can evolve into bigger projects on a local scale,” said Keaton Ramjit, media relations manager for the World Monument Fund. “[It just depends] on how much the community is highlighted, what [its] needs are, and the challenges that they’re individually facing.”
The World Monument Fund will formally announce its selections early next year. The nomination covers all 66 lighthouses in the state.
This article appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.