American Lighthouse Foundation Volunteers do it all!

Our volunteers are an integral part of all that the American Lighthouse Foundation accomplishes with its mission of historic preservation. From restoration and general maintenance to public access and educational outreach, ALF’s volunteers literally do it all.

Even the tricky task of removing island floats and stowing them away for the winter!

On October 23, 2026, a group of American Lighthouse Foundation volunteers carried out the annual undertaking of disconnecting the floats at Little River Island and moving them to a nearby cove in Cutler, Maine, for safekeeping during the winter months. As always, ALF volunteers were assisted with the removal process by local fishermen, proving once again the amazing value of teamwork and the community spirit it inspires.

When caring for an offshore light station such as Little River, it is imperative that our volunteers are comfortable on the water, for everything that happens at Little River Lighthouse must cross the waters of Cutler Harbor – from the mainland to the fifteen-acre island.

For the complicated float removal evolution to be tackled, it must occur on an October King Tide when the tides are higher-than-average. The additional buoyancy reach that the big tides offer enables our volunteers to push the floats further up on the beach with their skiffs – thus keeping them from being moved around and damaged during normal tide cycles. Once the floats are positioned properly along the beach, they are then tied-off and secured until next spring.

And since the King Tides dictate when this process happens date and time-wise, ALF’s volunteers cannot wait for ideal weather conditions. They must carry out the task upon the marching orders of the tide cycle. To no one’s surprise, the early morning of October 23rd was not a ‘beach day.’ The air was nippy – requiring the volunteers to dress accordingly for work on the water. As ALF volunteer Aileen Semonsen noted, “The ‘chilly morning crew’ is taking out the floats today.”

A big THANK YOU goes out to the American Lighthouse Foundation’s island caretaker – Joe Dowling, for coordinating all of the logistics associated with the float removal project, and to local Cutler fishermen Brian Cates, who is always there to lend a hand to ALF’s volunteers at Little River Lighthouse.

Also, thank you to American Lighthouse volunteer Aileen Semonsen – whose passion for Little River Lighthouse is off the charts, and to Dylan Dudley, Nicholas Kimball, Joni Morin and Aaron Wilcox. We sincerely appreciate everyone’s help with this important project!