The University of New England (UNE), Maine’s largest independent university, and the American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF), a national leader in historic lighthouse preservation based in Maine, collaborated together on a 2025 UNE Sustainability Fellowship and combined internship.
Cameron Wake, Ph.D., Director of UNE North, administers the fellowship in collaboration with UNE’s College of Business.
The Fellowship provided UNE rising senior Regina Dyer (Environmental Science, ’26), with a minor in geographic information systems (GIS), an opportunity to develop a Climate Vulnerability Assessment Report of Maine Lighthouses in the wake of two destructive January 2024 storms.
Halfway Rock Lighthouse in Maine’s Casco Bay…(L to R) Bob Trapani, Jr., ALF Executive Director, Regina Dyer, UNE Fellow, Ford Reiche, UNE Board of Trustees, and Ann-Marie Trapani, ALF Associate Director.
(Photo by Alan Bennett)
Bob Trapani, Jr., Executive Director for the American Lighthouse Foundation, served as the mentor for Regina Dyer’s fellowship. In addition, the World Monuments Fund provided assistance in helping develop the framework for the climate vulnerability assessment and Ford Reiche, a member of the Board of Trustees at the University of New England, generously donated to the endeavor, which helped make it possible.
“”I want to spread awareness about how vulnerable these lighthouses really are,” said UNE’s Regina Dyer. “People think of climate change affecting homes, not necessarily lighthouses. But these are some of Maine’s oldest structures, and they weren’t built to withstand what we’re seeing now.”
ALF Executive Director Bob Trapani, Jr., noted, “This Fellowship is part of building something special. We are helping to reshape viewpoints. We are inspiring others, and we are instilling hope in the fact that can indeed win at making Maine’s light stations more resilient. I can tell you this – Regina’s contributions in 2025 will resonate for years to come.”
In March 2026, the University of New England and the American Lighthouse Foundation released the Climate Vulnerability Assessment Report of Maine Lighthouses. To access the report, click on the link below:
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