Maine Landmarks Shine a Light on the Threats of Climate Change
World Monuments Fund (WMF) today announces the 25 sites on the 2025 World Monuments Watch, including Maine light stations which were nominated by the statewide nonprofit advocacy organization, Maine Preservation.
This year’s Watch also lists a wide variety of cultural heritage sites facing major challenges, such as Gaza’s Historic Urban Fabric; Ukraine’s Teacher’s House in Kyiv; Africa’s Swahili Coast; the Old City of Antakya, Türkiye; and Chapel of the Sorbonne, France. The 25 sites represent 29 countries across five continents and the Moon. The full list can be viewed here.
“The Watch underscores World Monuments Fund’s commitment to ensuring that heritage preservation not only honors the past but actively contributes to building a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient future for communities around the world and beyond,” said President and CEO, Bénédicte de Montlaur.
The January 10 & 13, 2024 storms caused harm to many of Maine’s historic lighthouses, including the state’s oldest, the 1791 Portland Head Light.
(Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.)
Each of Maine’s 66 light stations were purposefully positioned on low-lying peninsulas and small outcroppings along the most dangerous parts of the coast. According to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, the Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99% of all other ocean surface on the planet, meaning the rate of change in rising seas and storm surges impacting Maine’s light stations is among the most extreme. This new reality crystallized during a pair of storms in 2024 that saw crashing waves and ripping winds wreak havoc on light stations, causing an estimated $5.5 million in damage.
“The widespread damage caused by the January 2024 storms has forever changed the conversation and course of lighthouse preservation in Maine and beyond,” says Bob Trapani, Jr., executive director of the American Lighthouse Foundation. “Having Maine’s light stations named to the WMF’s 2025 Watch List is an amazing boost for these historic treasures and the work needed to make them more resilient.”
The 2025 open call for the World Monuments Watch resulted in over 200 nominations that underwent extensive internal and external review before final selection by an independent panel of international heritage experts.
There is no place to hide from severe storms for lighthouses like Halfway Rock in Casco Bay.
(Photo by Ford Reiche)
“Being named to the Watch List of the World Monuments Fund is a meaningful acknowledgement of both the global importance of our Maine lighthouses as a cultural resource and the unique threat they face with sea level rise here in the Gulf of Maine,” says Ford Reiche, President of The Presumpscot Foundation. “It will help in our continuing work with policymakers, regulators and funders.”
With more than 700 projects in 112 countries worldwide, WMF is the global leader in heritage preservation. In 1996, WMF launched the World Monuments Watch, a biennial, nomination-based program, to mobilize action, build public awareness, and demonstrate how heritage can help communities confront the crucial issues of our time. To date, WMF has contributed more than $120 million toward projects at nearly 350 Watch sites, with the visibility provided by the Watch helping communities leverage an additional $300 million from other sources.
Wood Island Light Station’s boathouse was severely damaged during the January 2024 storms.
(Photo by David Adams)
“Now is the time to raise awareness, develop strategies, and adapt Maine’s iconic light stations to be more resilient,” said Tara Kelly, executive director of Maine Preservation. “They can be repaired, prepared, and adapted–serving as a model for other vulnerable cultural resources along coasts around the globe.”
Maine Preservation, in partnership with the American Lighthouse Foundation, will use inclusion on the Watch to lead discussion around disaster recovery and climate resilience planning and action. The goal is to help stewards obtain the resources they need to recover from storm damage and prepare for the next. This will include collecting case studies from along the Maine coast that identify common climate change impacts, considering practical resiliency improvements, and developing effective decision-making processes to make the most of the critical time following disaster and damage.
About Maine Preservation
Founded in 1972, Maine Preservation is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving historic places, buildings, downtowns, and neighborhoods–strengthening the cultural and economic vitality of Maine communities.
For more information visit mainepreservation.org
About American Lighthouse Foundation
The American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF), founded in 1994, is a national leader in saving historic light stations and sharing their rich heritage with people through public access initiatives that are educational, experiential and effective at cultivating a sustainable preservation ethic. Headquartered in Maine at Owls Head Light, ALF is at the forefront of calling attention to the increasing threat that climate change is posing at historic light stations, and is committed to leading the way for lighthouses to a more resilient future.
For more information visit lighthousefoundation.org
About Presumpscot Foundation
The Presumpscot Foundation and its founder and president, Ford Reiche of Freeport, Maine, have owned and fully restored a half dozen Maine buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Most work is devoted to historic churches and lighthouses in Maine, including Halfway Rock Light Station, a wave-swept 1871 lighthouse four miles off the coast of Bailey Island.
For more information visit https://halfwayrock.com/
About World Monuments Fund
World Monuments Fund (WMF) is the leading independent organization devoted to safeguarding the world’s most treasured places to enrich people’s lives and build mutual understanding across cultures and communities. The organization is headquartered in New York City with offices and affiliates in Cambodia, France, India, Peru, Portugal, Spain and the UK. Since 1965, our global team of experts has preserved the world’s diverse cultural heritage using the highest international standards at more than 700 sites in 112 countries.
For more information visit wmf.org
