- Falkner Island
Infobox Islands
name = Falkner
image caption =
image size =
locator
Location map|Connecticut|lat=41.210880|long=-72.653190
map_custom = yes
native name =
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location =Long Island Sound
coordinates = coord|41|12|39|N|72|39|11|W|display=inline
archipelago =
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area = convert|4.5|acre|m2
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country = United States
country admin divisions title = State
country admin divisions = flag|Connecticut
country admin divisions title 1 = County
country admin divisions 1 = New Haven
country admin divisions title 2 = City
country admin divisions 2 = Guilford
country largest city =
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population = 0
population as of =
density = 0
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additional info =Falkner Island (also called Faulkner's Island) is a 4.5 acre (18,000 m²) crescent-shaped island located in
Long Island Sound 3 miles (5 km) off the coast of Guilford,Connecticut , USA.The island is part of the
Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge and has the fifth-largest colony of nestingroseate tern s in the northeastern United States. Originally called Falcon Island until around 1795, today it is known as Falkner Island on most charts and maps as Falkner Island, but known as Faulkner's Island to the local population.A
lighthouse was constructed in 1802 and commissioned by PresidentThomas Jefferson , warning of dangerous shoals and shallows in the area. This lighthouse is the second oldest in Connecticut (after New London) and is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places . It is 46 feet (14 m) tall, octagonal in cross-section and built of brownstone lined with brick. TheUnited States Coast Guard built a three-story home at the lighthouse tower in 1871, but it was destroyed by fire on March 15, 1976. The lighthouse was automated in 1978, and continues to operate as a navigational aid to the nearbyIntracoastal Waterway .Much of the island's land mass has been lost to
erosion , down to about 2.87 acres from its original 4.5 acres. TheUnited States Army Corps of Engineers recently reinforced the Eastern boundary to slow the advancing deterioration.ee also
Bibliography
* "The Island Called Faulkner's," Joel E. Helander, Guilford, CT, 1988.(ISBN 0-935600-09-4; LCCCN: 88-91395)
* "New worry for historic lighthouse fans. (Coast Guard may excess lighthouse on Falkner Island, in Long Island Sound)" by Nick Ravo, the "New York Times" (August 15, 1993)
* "Roseate Tern Recovery: Progress and Challenges" by Rena R. Borkhataria, "Endangered Species Bulletin", Sept 1998
* "New England Lighthouses: Bay of Fundy to Long Island Sound" by Bruce Roberts et al., Chelsea House, November 1999External links
* [http://www.lighthouse.cc/FLB/ Faulkner Lighthouse Brigade]
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