Race to save Grand Manan lighthouse grows more urgent
Part of the structure's plaster ceiling is falling apart
Grand Manan's Swallowtail lighthouse, which has long been in need of repairs, has recently suffered further damage, including water damage. Part of the structure's plaster ceiling is falling apart.
Now head lighthouse keeper Ken Ingersoll said the race is on to save the structure, which could be less than a year from irreversible damage. "To lose that tower would be catastrophic," he said.
"It's one of the first things you see when you come to Grand Manan and it's the last thing you see when you leave … I don't know how many photographs are taken of Swallowtail lighthouse in the run of the year."
Water damage caused parts of the structure’s plaster ceiling to fall apart. (Submitted by Bart Myers)
The lighthouse was built in 1860 and is still operational. Efforts to restore it have been ongoing for over 16 years.
Those efforts recently received a boost after the structure was named a finalist in a National Trust of Canada competition. It did not win, but some publicity was generated.
Lighthouse
keeper Kenneth Ingersoll said the race is on to save the lighthouse. He
said irreversible damage could occur in less than a year without
repairs. (Roger Cosman/CBC News )
The projected cost of renovating the lighthouse and keeper's house was $479,000 before the latest damage, with $160,000 being raised so far.
Andrea Kelter, manager of the Swallowtail lighthouse reception centre and gift shop, said the lighthouse isn't just a tourist attraction but an essential part of the community.
"It is a mariner-safety feature and, for the inshore fishery, a critical mariner-safety feature," said Kelter.
"For them, it truly can be life-saving in many different circumstances."
The island has started efforts to do even more fundraising, which include online donation campaigns and a telethon.
Kelter said the loss of the lighthouse would be a huge blow to the community.
"There will be a new light tower … it will do the job," said Kelter. "What it will never do is capture the hearts and the souls and the imaginations of the people who come to Grand Manan."
With files from Lars Schwarz
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Grand Manan man gets dream job at Machias Seal Island lighthouse
Ken Ingersoll did his first month-long stint on the remote island in January
Just 19 kilometres southwest of Grand Manan, the 12-hectare island has been home to a lighthouse for almost two centuries.
So, for Grand Manan's Ken Ingersoll, a four-week stint tending to the remote lighthouse was a thrill from the moment he arrived.
"One of the things I noticed when we landed on Machias [Seal Island] was how perfect everything was," Ingersoll said in an interview with Information Morning Saint John.
"Everything had a place … and I knew right then when I looked at it that … this is the place for me to be and I knew that, immediately, that it was a place that I would be part of to keep it that way, to keep it pristine."
Ingersoll has been a volunteer keeper for 15 years, looking after both Swallowtail lighthouse and Long Eddy Point lighthouse on Grand Manan.
The
light station as it greeted Ken Ingersoll upon his arrival on Machias
Seal Island. Ingersoll liked the 'peaceful' setting, and said the
ability to thrive in the remote location is a job requirement. (Submitted by Ken Ingersoll)
In that work, he got to know some Coast Guard employees, who encouraged him to apply for a casual position on Machias Seal Island.
"They just kind of said, 'Hey man, you should apply for Machias. You'd be great out there.' So I thought about it and I applied and jumped through hoops and they called me and hired me."
Ingersoll said the psychological requirements of the job seemed to matter a lot to the Coast Guard.
"I think it's a matter, basically, of wanting and being able to work and live in isolation without any difficulty," he said.
Ingersoll said that wasn't a problem for him.
"It's pretty nice out there. It's quiet, the view is spectacular. The storms are incredible, but you have to consider, you know, we've maintained a light station there since 1832. So they really got it down pat."
Machias Seal Island is roughly 20 kilometres southwest of Grand Manan. (Google Maps)
Ingersoll experienced two during his January stint, with winds topping 110 km/hr.
In weather like that, he said the only thing you can do is stay inside and not put yourself at unnecessary risk.
"Going outside that night to check on anything would have been very harmful, would probably blow you off the boardwalk," he said, adding that you always know in the back of your mind that you can't call 911 if anything happens.
He said the worst thing that happened during his first month-long stint was he nearly ran out of coffee. Fortunately, a Coast Guard crew came out to replace the light in the lighthouse, and he was able to get an emergency delivery.
"Crisis averted," he said.
Around 5,000 pairs of puffins come to Machias Seal Island each season to breed and nest. (Joe MacDonald/CBC)
Essentially, the keepers are there to ensure the automated systems work correctly, and they also make weather observations for Environment Canada four times a day.
Plus, they help assert Canada's claims to the island, which is disputed by the United States government.
Right now, Ingersoll will do three stints a year, each a month long.
He's looking forward to his next trip out in the spring, which he said will be a very different experience.
"Because you have the students from UNBSJ, they stay in the second house. And the puffins and the razor bills and the terns" arrive to nest, he said.
Two
Canadian lighthouse keepers man the Machias Seal Island lighthouse
throughout the year. Ingersoll says his next stint will be in the
spring, when the bird nesting season is in full swing, which will make
for a very different experience. (Shane Fowler/CBC)
"So, it would be a completely different feeling island than it would have been when I was there in January."
Ingersoll said it's amazing to be one of the few people in this day and age to experience this kind of life.
"For me it's an honour, it really is, to be part of a 200-year-old light station. And there aren't many of them left, you know.
"This is really hard to find, a job as a light keeper and get paid for it, in 2023."
With files from Information Morning Saint John
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