Story by Alan Bennett • Portland, Maine • August 5, 2025
Regina Dyer (Environmental Science, ’26), a rising senior at the University of New England with a minor in geographic information systems (GIS), is working to preserve Maine’s lighthouses from the perils of rising seas, intensifying storms, and shifting shorelines.
(Photo by Alan Bennett)
Maine’s lighthouses carry deep historical and cultural significance. From the early days of maritime trade, these beacons have guided ships carrying goods to fuel commerce, nourish lives on land, and ensure a flourishing coastal economy.
But today, these iconic structures face a different kind of threat, not from fog or shipwreck, but from the escalating effects of climate change…
To read the full story, clink on the University of New England website link below!
https://www.une.edu/student-maine-lighthouses-climate-2025
(L to R) Bob Trapani, Jr., ALF Executive Director, Regina Dyer, UNE rising senior, Ford Reiche, a member of the UNE board of trustees and owner of Halfway Rock Lighthouse, and Ann-Marie Trapani, ALF Associate Director. The group visited Halfway Rock on 7/22/25 in conjunction with UNE’s 2025 Sustainability Fellowship program. Regina is a Fellow in this exciting UNE program, Bob Trapani, Jr. is serving as Regina’s mentor and Ford Reiche has graciously helped support this 2025 Fellowship. Regina is developing climate change vulnerability assessments for more than a dozen lighthouses up and down Maine’s rocky coast. (Photo by Alan Bennett)
