Great Duck Island, Maine
Encyclopedia
Great Duck Island is a small island
(1.5 miles (2.4 km) long by 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) wide) in the Gulf of Maine
, 11 miles (17.7 km) south of the entrance to Frenchmans Bay, not far from Acadia National Park
. Along with nearby Little Duck Island and 11 others, it is part of the town of Frenchboro, Maine
.
According to The Nature Conservancy
, the island provides habitat
for the largest nesting Black Guillemot
colony in Maine
. Great Duck is an active site for ecological research, conducted by the College of the Atlantic
at its Alice Eno Biological Station. Much of this research focuses on the nesting habits of Leach's Storm-petrel
.
left and the lighthouse
was automated. For much of this period it was used to pasture sheep, support the light station, and provide a summer retreat for mainland property owners.
Great Duck Island Light
was established in 1890, and the original lighthouse, head keeper's house, fog signal building, storage building, and boathouse from this year still stand.
Bill and Ellen Bigenho purchased most of the island beginning in 1949. According to their daughter Ellen Spain, they used a 16th or 17th century map to dig up a pirate treasure of gold
and silver
in 1953.
In 1963 Boston psychotherapist George Cloutier bought most of the island from the Bigenhos. In the 1970s Cloutier constructed an airstrip, and ran a psychiatric clinic and intentional community
on the island including a geodesic dome
and yurt
s, described as an "experiment in gestalt psychiatry that must be unique in island annals." The clinic closed in 1979.
In 1985 The Nature Conservancy and the State of Maine purchased most of the island in joint tenancy. In 1998 the College of the Atlantic acquired the 12 acres (4.9 ha) light station under the Maine Lights Program, renaming it the Alice Eno Biological Station in 2000.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
(1.5 miles (2.4 km) long by 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) wide) in the Gulf of Maine
Gulf of Maine
The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America.It is delineated by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and Cape Sable at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northeast. It includes the entire coastlines of the U.S...
, 11 miles (17.7 km) south of the entrance to Frenchmans Bay, not far from Acadia National Park
Acadia National Park
Acadia National Park is a National Park located in the U.S. state of Maine. It reserves much of Mount Desert Island, and associated smaller islands, off the Atlantic coast...
. Along with nearby Little Duck Island and 11 others, it is part of the town of Frenchboro, Maine
Frenchboro, Maine
Frenchboro is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States, and a village within this town located on Long Island in Blue Hill Bay. The population was 38 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
.
According to The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....
, the island provides habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
for the largest nesting Black Guillemot
Black Guillemot
The Black Guillemot or Tystie is a medium-sized alcid.Adult birds have black bodies with a white wing patch, a thin dark bill, and red legs and feet. They show white wing linings in flight. In winter, the upperparts are pale grey and the underparts are white. The wings remain black with the large...
colony in Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. Great Duck is an active site for ecological research, conducted by the College of the Atlantic
College of the Atlantic
The College of the Atlantic, founded in 1969, is a private, alternative liberal-arts college located in Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island, Maine, United States. It awards a bachelor's degree solely in the field of human ecology, though with a variety of emphases. The college is small, with...
at its Alice Eno Biological Station. Much of this research focuses on the nesting habits of Leach's Storm-petrel
Leach's Storm-petrel
The Leach's Storm Petrel or Leach's Petrel is a small seabird of the tubenose family. It is named after the British zoologist William Elford Leach....
.
History
The island was inhabited year-round from sometime after 1837 when William Gilley purchased the island, until 1986 when the Coast GuardUnited States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
left and the lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
was automated. For much of this period it was used to pasture sheep, support the light station, and provide a summer retreat for mainland property owners.
Great Duck Island Light
Great Duck Island Light
Great Duck Island Light is a lighthouse on Great Duck Island in the town of Frenchboro, Maine.It was established in 1890.Great Duck Island Light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Great Duck Island Light Station on March 14, 1988, reference number 88000159....
was established in 1890, and the original lighthouse, head keeper's house, fog signal building, storage building, and boathouse from this year still stand.
Bill and Ellen Bigenho purchased most of the island beginning in 1949. According to their daughter Ellen Spain, they used a 16th or 17th century map to dig up a pirate treasure of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
in 1953.
In 1963 Boston psychotherapist George Cloutier bought most of the island from the Bigenhos. In the 1970s Cloutier constructed an airstrip, and ran a psychiatric clinic and intentional community
Intentional community
An intentional community is a planned residential community designed to have a much higher degree of teamwork than other communities. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, or spiritual vision and often follow an alternative lifestyle. They...
on the island including a geodesic dome
Geodesic dome
A geodesic dome is a spherical or partial-spherical shell structure or lattice shell based on a network of great circles on the surface of a sphere. The geodesics intersect to form triangular elements that have local triangular rigidity and also distribute the stress across the structure. When...
and yurt
Yurt
A yurt is a portable, bent wood-framed dwelling structure traditionally used by Turkic nomads in the steppes of Central Asia. The structure comprises a crown or compression wheel usually steam bent, supported by roof ribs which are bent down at the end where they meet the lattice wall...
s, described as an "experiment in gestalt psychiatry that must be unique in island annals." The clinic closed in 1979.
In 1985 The Nature Conservancy and the State of Maine purchased most of the island in joint tenancy. In 1998 the College of the Atlantic acquired the 12 acres (4.9 ha) light station under the Maine Lights Program, renaming it the Alice Eno Biological Station in 2000.
External links
- Great Duck Island website from the College of the Atlantic
- A brief history of Great Duck Island from the College of the Atlantic
- Photos and reminiscences from Ellen Spain
- "Maine's Great Duck Island Light Station is for the Birds (and Students)" by Jeremy D'Entremont, Lighthouse Digest, April 2003