The Division of Fisheries and Wildlife has approved an 11th-hour conservation plan for protecting the endangered broad tinker’s weed near the Gay Head Light, clearing the way for the final phases of the relocation project. Ground-breaking for the project is expected to take place Monday.
More Coverage of Lighthouse Move
For almost 160 years, the Gay Head Light has stood at the westernmost part of Martha's Vineyard, a familiar and often beloved icon. But the clay cliffs underneath the lighthouse have proven less enduring, with erosion slowly bringing the lighthouse closer to the edge. This spring, after more than two years of planning and preparation, the 400-ton, 51-foot-tall lighthouse will be moved about 129 feet to a new location.
At 10:33 a.m. Thursday, the automated double-cannon beacon installed in the Gay Head Light in 1989 stopped spinning and the iconic red-and-white signal went out. A temporary beacon has been installed nearby while the lighthouse is moved.
A steady stream of visitors on Saturday made one last visit to the Gay Head Light, which will soon be moved 190 feet from the eroding cliffs looking out toward Cuttyhunk and Rhode Island in the distance.
Final preparations for relocating the Gay Head Light have begun. The Coast Guard was at work installing a temporary beacon Tuesday. The last day to visit the lighthouse in its current location is Saturday.
With excavation work around the Gay Head Light expected to begin next week, several traffic changes are planned for Aquinnah Circle. The last day to visit the lighthouse before its relocation will be April 11.
The Gay Head Light relocation project has hit a potential snag following recent notice from the state Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program that the site contains habitat for the broad tinker’s weed, an endangered wild plant.
I Will Save You!, a 65-page volume devoted to the Gay Head Light, features drawings, poems, and short stories by 60 Island students. It arrives in bookstores on Monday, and proceeds from sales of the $20 book will go towards the lighthouse relocation effort.
Marking the end of a year-long process involving state, federal and local authorities, the town of Aquinnah officially took ownership of the Gay Head Light on Friday. The transfer clears the way for the lighthouse to be moved away from the eroding Gay Head cliffs this spring.
A detailed plan for moving the Gay Head Light has been approved by town boards, and other elements of the project are quickly taking shape. If all goes well, work will begin as soon as the ground thaws and the move will be completed by Memorial Day.
