6 Fire Island Lighthouse
Fire Island and the Fire Island Lighthouse
At the MAR 355 experience this time, the class took a trip to Fire Island, where it contains the second built lighthouse in Long Island. Sporting alternating four black and white bands, it also remains one of the tallest lighthouses on the island. The class had to walk up several stories up to get to the top of the lighthouse, reminding us of when there was gas powered lights instead of electric powered ones, the lighthouse keepers had to walk up these steps constantly throughout the night to keep the light lit. This lighthouse serves to guide ships at sea to where land was, but was often mistaken for the Montauk lighthouse, causing unintended shipwrecks. Thankfully, each lighthouse has its own light patterns at night, allowing for differentiation between all of them for sailors.
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The view of the Fire Island Lighthouse on the trail from the area 5 parking lot. The lighthouse was originally closer to the west inlet, but littoral drift added several amounts of land, moving the inlet’s location further from the lighthouse. Littoral drift is the movement of sediment along the coast parallel to the shoreline, creating new landforms along the coast.
.jpg)
There was a previous lighthouse built before the current Fire Island Lighthouse! These are the remains of the first Fire Island lighthouse in which it wasn’t built on the highest point of the island, in which it didn’t really do a good job of guiding ships that were out at sea back to land. This lighthouse was taken down after the first one was built in 1858 where some parts of the stones were used to build the terrace of the new lighthouse.
.jpg)
This was the original light of the current Fire Island lighthouse, called the Frensel lens. It amplifies the lightbulb in the middle of it by refracting the light to a single focal point, allowing it to cast the light out miles offshore. The reason why there is a copy of the Frensel lens used in the Fire Island lighthouse is because during its transportation to be repaired, World War II caused it to be lost in transit amidst the confusion. Years later after they built new Frensel lens for the lighthouse, it was found in storage and was realized that it was meant to be in a lighthouse.
The U.S. Life Saving Service at Fire Island
Lighthouse Keepers and their Families
by Kimberly Bagielto
This week on our trip to Fire Island, we learned about deer and their impact on dunes. The deer first swam over to Fire Island from mainland Long Island across Great South Bay and then reproduced rapidly since they had a large food source and no natural predator, which makes them an invasive species. Large deer populations can have detrimental effects to both humans and the natural environment of Fire Island. Deer carry ticks which can harm human health, but the deer also trample over dunes, which are essential for stabilizing the land of fire island. To combat the issues deer cause, park staff feed the deer tick medication along with birth control to control their population.
Fire Island locals have taken action to protect and rebuild dunes in the past. For example, more than 80% of locals voted yes to have a 47% increase in their taxes to fund a mass project to rebuild the dunes of Fire Island. Shortly after the dune reconstruction project, superstorm Sandy hit the east coast and heavily destroyed the environment of Fire Island. However, it was estimated that 98% of homes would have been permanently lost if the dune project was not carried out. There are also very strict guidelines regarding current dunes, including that people cannot stand on the dunes at all while traveling. To enforce this, there are fences placed within the dunes to stabilize sediment and prevent people from entering.
Image 1. This photo shows a sign that says: “please keep off the dunes”. Fire Island locals have witnessed the importance of dunes firsthand after superstorm Sandy, therefore it is extremely important that visitors are prohibited from walking on them. These protective measures help to preserve the dunes that are essential in the protection of the community from environmental hazards like storms.
Image 2. This photo shows a deer that we saw while walking back to the van. At the park, there is also the policy that visitors are not allowed to feed the deer. This is because the staff feed the deer medications that prevent ticks and reproduction.
The Importance of Sand Dunes on Barrier Islands
On the right hand side of this image, you can see the stretch of dunes that face out towards the Atlantic ocean. The dunes provide critical protection to not only the natural environment that flourishes on the island, but also the man made structures such as the house present in the image. Additionally, the dunes work by preventing strong winds, large waves, and storm surges from decimating the infrastructure and environment behind them. These dunes are critical to the protection of both nature and our societies built on top of barrier islands.
Fire Island is an incredible place to visit, vacation, and even live year round for some individuals. Due to the size of the island, many towns are clumped together and in close proximity to the shore on either side. As seen in the photo, towns such as these are very susceptible to damages caused by large storms. Without the protection sand dunes offer, the towns on Fire Island would be completely destroyed. For example hurricane Sandy in 2012 which is why the protection and preservation of the sand dunes are incredibly important.
These informational graphics that are located within the Fire Island lighthouse museum show the importance of protecting the dunes and the vegetation growing through them. It states that beach grass roots, called rhizomes, spread throughout the sand dunes. These rhizomes help hold the sand in place, stabilizing the dunes. This allows the dunes to be able to withstand the harsh winds and large waves, protecting the environment inland. This is why they are protected under law and it is asked that no one walks on them to preserve the fragile grasses that grow on top of them.
The image above showcases two smaller barrier islands that have formed in the bay behind Fire Island. These smaller islands also play a role in protecting the continental coast from wind and waves. The small islands are formed due to erosion and overwash of the barrier island sediments. Barrier islands naturally erode backwards, towards the continental shore, eventually reconnecting with it. This process occurs over millions of years, but is being inhibited by people who want to remain on the island. This is done by building sea walls, jetties, and beach sand renourishment.
History of LGBTQ+ Activity on Fire Island
by Lawrence Pak
At the MAR 355 experience this time, the class took a trip to Fire Island, where it contains the second built lighthouse in Long Island. Sporting alternating four black and white bands, it also remains one of the tallest lighthouses on the island. The class had to walk up several stories up to get to the top of the lighthouse, reminding us of when there was gas powered lights instead of electric powered ones, the lighthouse keepers had to walk up these steps constantly throughout the night to keep the light lit. This lighthouse serves to guide ships at sea to where land was, but was often mistaken for the Montauk lighthouse, causing unintended shipwrecks. Thankfully, each lighthouse has its own light patterns at night, allowing for differentiation between all of them for sailors.
.jpg)
The view of the Fire Island Lighthouse on the trail from the area 5 parking lot. The lighthouse was originally closer to the west inlet, but littoral drift added several amounts of land, moving the inlet’s location further from the lighthouse. Littoral drift is the movement of sediment along the coast parallel to the shoreline, creating new landforms along the coast.
.jpg)
There was a previous lighthouse built before the current Fire Island Lighthouse! These are the remains of the first Fire Island lighthouse in which it wasn’t built on the highest point of the island, in which it didn’t really do a good job of guiding ships that were out at sea back to land. This lighthouse was taken down after the first one was built in 1858 where some parts of the stones were used to build the terrace of the new lighthouse.
.jpg)
This was the original light of the current Fire Island lighthouse, called the Frensel lens. It amplifies the lightbulb in the middle of it by refracting the light to a single focal point, allowing it to cast the light out miles offshore. The reason why there is a copy of the Frensel lens used in the Fire Island lighthouse is because during its transportation to be repaired, World War II caused it to be lost in transit amidst the confusion. Years later after they built new Frensel lens for the lighthouse, it was found in storage and was realized that it was meant to be in a lighthouse.
The U.S. Life Saving Service at Fire Island
by Caitlin Brislin
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This image shows the equipment used by the U.S. Life Saving Service to rescue a ship’s crew if the ship were sinking. Members of the Life Saving Service used a small cannon (pictured in image 4) to shoot a rope out to the sinking vessel. The sailors would attach the rope to the ship’s mast or other secure point, and then the Life Saving Service would send over a breeches buoy. Each crew member would get into the breeches buoy and be pulled to shore by the Life Saving Service. A staff member at the Fire Island lighthouse allowed us to run a mini life-saving drill using the teddy bears on the mast and a smaller version of the breeches buoy.
The painting pictured is The Life Line, created by American artist Winslow Homer in 1884. It depicts a member of the U.S. Life Saving Service carrying an unconscious sailor to safety via a breeches buoy. According to the MET museum, the painting was inspired by an occurrence Homer witnessed in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1883. A staff member at the lighthouse noted that the rescuer’s face is covered by a scarf because it could have been any member of the Life Saving Service. This painting also shows the nasty conditions the Life Saving Service had to face with stormy skies and dangerous waves.
The image above shows a member of the U.S. Life Saving Service wearing a vest made of cork. This is an early version of the life vests we still use on boats today. Cork life vests were created in the early 1800s, and by the mid-1800s, they were used by lifeboat crews to prevent drowning in the event of storms or capsizing. Cork was later replaced by kapok and eventually man-made foam, as we see in modern life vests.
Pictured above is an example of the small cannons the U.S. Life Saving Service would use to send rope to a sinking ship. Next to the cannon is an example of how the rope attached to the cannon projectile would be stored in order to keep it free from tangling. The members of the Life Saving Service would spend about an hour coiling the rope intricately around the pegs and then dumping the organized rope into the box below. It was important for the Life Saving Service to be able to respond quickly in an emergency, which is why the rope had to be free from any possible knots.
Outside sources:
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/829817
https://www.raftecho.com/blog/the-evolution-of-the-life-jacket/
.jpeg)
This image shows the equipment used by the U.S. Life Saving Service to rescue a ship’s crew if the ship were sinking. Members of the Life Saving Service used a small cannon (pictured in image 4) to shoot a rope out to the sinking vessel. The sailors would attach the rope to the ship’s mast or other secure point, and then the Life Saving Service would send over a breeches buoy. Each crew member would get into the breeches buoy and be pulled to shore by the Life Saving Service. A staff member at the Fire Island lighthouse allowed us to run a mini life-saving drill using the teddy bears on the mast and a smaller version of the breeches buoy.
The painting pictured is The Life Line, created by American artist Winslow Homer in 1884. It depicts a member of the U.S. Life Saving Service carrying an unconscious sailor to safety via a breeches buoy. According to the MET museum, the painting was inspired by an occurrence Homer witnessed in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1883. A staff member at the lighthouse noted that the rescuer’s face is covered by a scarf because it could have been any member of the Life Saving Service. This painting also shows the nasty conditions the Life Saving Service had to face with stormy skies and dangerous waves.
The image above shows a member of the U.S. Life Saving Service wearing a vest made of cork. This is an early version of the life vests we still use on boats today. Cork life vests were created in the early 1800s, and by the mid-1800s, they were used by lifeboat crews to prevent drowning in the event of storms or capsizing. Cork was later replaced by kapok and eventually man-made foam, as we see in modern life vests.
Pictured above is an example of the small cannons the U.S. Life Saving Service would use to send rope to a sinking ship. Next to the cannon is an example of how the rope attached to the cannon projectile would be stored in order to keep it free from tangling. The members of the Life Saving Service would spend about an hour coiling the rope intricately around the pegs and then dumping the organized rope into the box below. It was important for the Life Saving Service to be able to respond quickly in an emergency, which is why the rope had to be free from any possible knots.
Outside sources:
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/829817
https://www.raftecho.com/blog/the-evolution-of-the-life-jacket/
Lighthouse Keepers and their Families
by Eily Montenegro
When thinking of a lighthouse keeper, a picture of a lonely old man in a raincoat with a lantern in hand comes to mind. While it was a very isolating job, we learned that it didn’t have to be. Many lighthouse keepers actually lived with many other people, including their families. Since keeping the light lit was such an important job, women and children of the lighthouse keeper would step in to maintain the light if the keeper was sick or had passed. Multiple families could be in the lighthouse, such as those of the two assistants to the lighthouse keeper. These families, however, would still be miles away from other communities, typically needing a boat to connect to other people. Families would take the ferry to attend church, doctors, and school as well as grocery shopping.
Despite being able to live with many others, living at a lighthouse was still extremely isolating, especially for keepers performing their duties. In fact, it’s argued that the earliest mental health advocacy was for lighthouse keepers. Keepers and their assistants would have nightshift schedules, shifting their sleeping towards daylight hours. Working as a keeper was also physically demanding, needing to climb hundreds of steps and, originally, needing to hand crank the Fresnel Lens. The Fire Island Lighthouse had 182 steps (which we climbed!), the last two sets of stairs being extremely narrow. At the base of these steeper steps was the service room, where a keeper would spend most of their working hours– from sunset to sunrise. Here, they would log daily routine and weather, communicate with the coast guard and local vessels via the radio or phone, and take quick breaks. This room was very close to the Fresnel Lens and light where they could easily wind clockwork mechanisms, refill oil, trim lamp wicks, and clean the soot from the prisms and mirrors of the lens.
To be a lighthouse keeper, you had to be between the ages 18 and 50, be able to read and write, keep accounts of weather/log routines, and, as mentioned above, perform manual labor, as well as pulling and sailing a boat. New keepers would be trained for 3 months as an apprentice before they were either certified or dropped from the position. While there hadn’t been any recorded female keepers at Fire Island, many women have been lighthouse keepers throughout the United States. Lighthouse keepers were very important for seamen such as traders and fishermen which many communities relied on. By 1900, lighthouse keeping was viewed as a respectable profession, earning keepers a special badge.
Lighthouse Markings on Long Island
by Juliana Hart
While at the Fire Island Lighthouse, we discussed the different ways someone could identify what lighthouse they were looking at. As someone from Michigan, the state with the most lighthouses, I grew up knowing how important the visual differences in lighthouses are for sailors. Knowing what lighthouse your ship is at helps with navigation and can prevent shipwrecks. If you know your location, you know what hazards might be in the water and how close you can sail to the shore before running aground.
Height, color pattern, and frequency of light flashes help sailors distinguish which lighthouse they are looking at. The color patterns are called daymarks. Long Island has over 20 lighthouses that all have different markings.
The Fire Island Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in New York at 168 ft tall. It has four color blocks in alternating black and white, starting with white at the bottom (see image 1). It is slightly wider at the bottom and slimmer at the top. The light flashes every 7.5 seconds. In comparison, the Montauk Lighthouse is 110.5 ft tall with 3 color blocks with red sandwiched by white (see image 2). The light flashes every 5 seconds. These distinctions help easily identify where someone is on Long Island.
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Image 1 is a side view of Fire Island Lighthouse. It has four thick color stripes in alternating white and black and has a rounded shape.
Image 2 is of Montauk Lighthouse. It has three thick color stripes in alternating white and red. This lighthouse is an octagonal pyramid. Photo credits: Hayden Soloviev.
Deer and Dunes at Robert Moses State ParkWhen thinking of a lighthouse keeper, a picture of a lonely old man in a raincoat with a lantern in hand comes to mind. While it was a very isolating job, we learned that it didn’t have to be. Many lighthouse keepers actually lived with many other people, including their families. Since keeping the light lit was such an important job, women and children of the lighthouse keeper would step in to maintain the light if the keeper was sick or had passed. Multiple families could be in the lighthouse, such as those of the two assistants to the lighthouse keeper. These families, however, would still be miles away from other communities, typically needing a boat to connect to other people. Families would take the ferry to attend church, doctors, and school as well as grocery shopping.
 |
| A photo of Richard Mahler leaving for school from his home at the Fire Island Lighthouse. It is noted that he is the youngest pupil at his school at 5 years old and lives the furthest away (4 miles.) The photo was taken in 1952 and provided by The Library of Congress. |
Despite being able to live with many others, living at a lighthouse was still extremely isolating, especially for keepers performing their duties. In fact, it’s argued that the earliest mental health advocacy was for lighthouse keepers. Keepers and their assistants would have nightshift schedules, shifting their sleeping towards daylight hours. Working as a keeper was also physically demanding, needing to climb hundreds of steps and, originally, needing to hand crank the Fresnel Lens. The Fire Island Lighthouse had 182 steps (which we climbed!), the last two sets of stairs being extremely narrow. At the base of these steeper steps was the service room, where a keeper would spend most of their working hours– from sunset to sunrise. Here, they would log daily routine and weather, communicate with the coast guard and local vessels via the radio or phone, and take quick breaks. This room was very close to the Fresnel Lens and light where they could easily wind clockwork mechanisms, refill oil, trim lamp wicks, and clean the soot from the prisms and mirrors of the lens.
 |
| This photo depicts a lighthouse keeper taking a break and keeping an eye on the time in the service room of the Fire Island Lighthouse. The steep steps mentioned are seen behind him. On his desk are a pair of binoculars, a phone, and a lantern. Taken by Scherl/Süddeutsche Zeitung Newspaper Photo Company 1934. |
To be a lighthouse keeper, you had to be between the ages 18 and 50, be able to read and write, keep accounts of weather/log routines, and, as mentioned above, perform manual labor, as well as pulling and sailing a boat. New keepers would be trained for 3 months as an apprentice before they were either certified or dropped from the position. While there hadn’t been any recorded female keepers at Fire Island, many women have been lighthouse keepers throughout the United States. Lighthouse keepers were very important for seamen such as traders and fishermen which many communities relied on. By 1900, lighthouse keeping was viewed as a respectable profession, earning keepers a special badge.
 |
| A photo of a Lighthouse Keepers badge from the Fire Island Lighthouse Museum. Those who wore this badge often sacrificed many hours of their day to keep the lighthouse’s light burning. The badge represented a commitment to hours of isolation and manual labor to ensure safe passage of seamen. |
Lighthouse Markings on Long Island
by Juliana Hart
While at the Fire Island Lighthouse, we discussed the different ways someone could identify what lighthouse they were looking at. As someone from Michigan, the state with the most lighthouses, I grew up knowing how important the visual differences in lighthouses are for sailors. Knowing what lighthouse your ship is at helps with navigation and can prevent shipwrecks. If you know your location, you know what hazards might be in the water and how close you can sail to the shore before running aground.
Height, color pattern, and frequency of light flashes help sailors distinguish which lighthouse they are looking at. The color patterns are called daymarks. Long Island has over 20 lighthouses that all have different markings.
The Fire Island Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in New York at 168 ft tall. It has four color blocks in alternating black and white, starting with white at the bottom (see image 1). It is slightly wider at the bottom and slimmer at the top. The light flashes every 7.5 seconds. In comparison, the Montauk Lighthouse is 110.5 ft tall with 3 color blocks with red sandwiched by white (see image 2). The light flashes every 5 seconds. These distinctions help easily identify where someone is on Long Island.
.jpg)
Image 1 is a side view of Fire Island Lighthouse. It has four thick color stripes in alternating white and black and has a rounded shape.
Image 2 is of Montauk Lighthouse. It has three thick color stripes in alternating white and red. This lighthouse is an octagonal pyramid. Photo credits: Hayden Soloviev.
by Kimberly Bagielto
This week on our trip to Fire Island, we learned about deer and their impact on dunes. The deer first swam over to Fire Island from mainland Long Island across Great South Bay and then reproduced rapidly since they had a large food source and no natural predator, which makes them an invasive species. Large deer populations can have detrimental effects to both humans and the natural environment of Fire Island. Deer carry ticks which can harm human health, but the deer also trample over dunes, which are essential for stabilizing the land of fire island. To combat the issues deer cause, park staff feed the deer tick medication along with birth control to control their population.
Fire Island locals have taken action to protect and rebuild dunes in the past. For example, more than 80% of locals voted yes to have a 47% increase in their taxes to fund a mass project to rebuild the dunes of Fire Island. Shortly after the dune reconstruction project, superstorm Sandy hit the east coast and heavily destroyed the environment of Fire Island. However, it was estimated that 98% of homes would have been permanently lost if the dune project was not carried out. There are also very strict guidelines regarding current dunes, including that people cannot stand on the dunes at all while traveling. To enforce this, there are fences placed within the dunes to stabilize sediment and prevent people from entering.
Image 1. This photo shows a sign that says: “please keep off the dunes”. Fire Island locals have witnessed the importance of dunes firsthand after superstorm Sandy, therefore it is extremely important that visitors are prohibited from walking on them. These protective measures help to preserve the dunes that are essential in the protection of the community from environmental hazards like storms.
Image 2. This photo shows a deer that we saw while walking back to the van. At the park, there is also the policy that visitors are not allowed to feed the deer. This is because the staff feed the deer medications that prevent ticks and reproduction.
by Rocco Maner
On the right hand side of this image, you can see the stretch of dunes that face out towards the Atlantic ocean. The dunes provide critical protection to not only the natural environment that flourishes on the island, but also the man made structures such as the house present in the image. Additionally, the dunes work by preventing strong winds, large waves, and storm surges from decimating the infrastructure and environment behind them. These dunes are critical to the protection of both nature and our societies built on top of barrier islands.
Fire Island is an incredible place to visit, vacation, and even live year round for some individuals. Due to the size of the island, many towns are clumped together and in close proximity to the shore on either side. As seen in the photo, towns such as these are very susceptible to damages caused by large storms. Without the protection sand dunes offer, the towns on Fire Island would be completely destroyed. For example hurricane Sandy in 2012 which is why the protection and preservation of the sand dunes are incredibly important.
These informational graphics that are located within the Fire Island lighthouse museum show the importance of protecting the dunes and the vegetation growing through them. It states that beach grass roots, called rhizomes, spread throughout the sand dunes. These rhizomes help hold the sand in place, stabilizing the dunes. This allows the dunes to be able to withstand the harsh winds and large waves, protecting the environment inland. This is why they are protected under law and it is asked that no one walks on them to preserve the fragile grasses that grow on top of them.
The image above showcases two smaller barrier islands that have formed in the bay behind Fire Island. These smaller islands also play a role in protecting the continental coast from wind and waves. The small islands are formed due to erosion and overwash of the barrier island sediments. Barrier islands naturally erode backwards, towards the continental shore, eventually reconnecting with it. This process occurs over millions of years, but is being inhibited by people who want to remain on the island. This is done by building sea walls, jetties, and beach sand renourishment.
by Aelish Mullaney
For this week’s class trip in MAR 355: Coastal Cultural Experience, we went to Fire Island, a personal favorite spot of mine filled with beautiful wildlife and a history of acceptance like no other, particularly for the LGBTQ+ community. Fire Island was first settled on in the early 1800’s and used primarily for fishing and whaling, being heavily populated in the summer season. Over time it’s become quite the vacation spot and it is very well known for being a sort of “gay haven” during the summer months, especially in spots like Cherry Grove and the Fire Island Pines. During the 1930’s the space was used primarily by actors, writers and artists of all kinds, and the secluded area allowed people to let go and be themselves, far away from a judgmental and harsh mainland.
Fire Island also served as a sanctuary for LGBTQ+ people during the AIDS epidemic throughout the 1980s, where gay men in particular were scrutinized and made the scapegoat for the virus, and faced a lot of fear and isolation. The Island became one of those places they could come to and spend their time peacefully living life to its fullest and finding love in a protected space. The people who gathered there built a strong network of care and friendship, safeguarding what was pretty much the survival of the community as a whole. Even today the island is considered a place of openness and individuality.
As a person studying marine science, most people may assume that I care more about the natural aspects of these places rather than the social, but the truth is they go hand and hand in protecting these areas. After all, there’s not many people willing to protect nature who haven’t experienced it. Everything is constantly shifting, the dunes, the tides, the biodiversity, and geological processes like erosion and storm surges can beautifully represent the struggles and endurance of the people who have found a sort of second home in this place, as it directly reflects their own struggles. Fire Island is one of those places where separating the humanities from the science is almost impossible, which I believe is how the world should be.
For this week’s class trip in MAR 355: Coastal Cultural Experience, we went to Fire Island, a personal favorite spot of mine filled with beautiful wildlife and a history of acceptance like no other, particularly for the LGBTQ+ community. Fire Island was first settled on in the early 1800’s and used primarily for fishing and whaling, being heavily populated in the summer season. Over time it’s become quite the vacation spot and it is very well known for being a sort of “gay haven” during the summer months, especially in spots like Cherry Grove and the Fire Island Pines. During the 1930’s the space was used primarily by actors, writers and artists of all kinds, and the secluded area allowed people to let go and be themselves, far away from a judgmental and harsh mainland.
Fire Island also served as a sanctuary for LGBTQ+ people during the AIDS epidemic throughout the 1980s, where gay men in particular were scrutinized and made the scapegoat for the virus, and faced a lot of fear and isolation. The Island became one of those places they could come to and spend their time peacefully living life to its fullest and finding love in a protected space. The people who gathered there built a strong network of care and friendship, safeguarding what was pretty much the survival of the community as a whole. Even today the island is considered a place of openness and individuality.
As a person studying marine science, most people may assume that I care more about the natural aspects of these places rather than the social, but the truth is they go hand and hand in protecting these areas. After all, there’s not many people willing to protect nature who haven’t experienced it. Everything is constantly shifting, the dunes, the tides, the biodiversity, and geological processes like erosion and storm surges can beautifully represent the struggles and endurance of the people who have found a sort of second home in this place, as it directly reflects their own struggles. Fire Island is one of those places where separating the humanities from the science is almost impossible, which I believe is how the world should be.
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