The iconic Long Beach Bar Light, affectionately known to North Fork locals as Bug Light, is officially set to undergo a massive transformation. The East End Seaport Museum announced it has successfully raised $880,000 to launch Phase One of its Keep Bug Light Shining campaign. With funding secured, critical marine construction is scheduled to begin this winter to protect the historic structure, which guides mariners away from a dangerous sandbar between Orient Harbor and Gardiner’s Bay.
The impressive financial milestone was anchored by $690,000 in early leadership gifts from private community donors. This local momentum allowed the museum to secure crucial matching grants, including $293,890 from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation and $139,000 from New York State’s Empire State Development Capital Funds Program.
Dubbed the Rock and Dock phase, this initial part of the project addresses the lighthouse’s most urgent preservation needs. Chesterfield Associates, a coastal engineering firm, will lead the offshore marine construction. Crews will transport heavy materials by water to reinforce the lighthouse’s rockpile foundation with multi-ton stones and build a brand-new, environmentally resilient landing dock and access ramp capable of withstanding harsh maritime conditions.
Construction is slated to run from February through mid-May, wrapping up just in time for the museum’s popular summer lighthouse cruises. According to Eric Kimmel, Executive Director of the East End Seaport Museum, stabilizing the foundation not only protects the immediate structure but also lays the groundwork for future phases aimed at expanding public access, local history education, and cultural programming.
To celebrate the milestone and raise continued support, the museum has partnered with local artist Michael Aron to release a limited run of Bug Lighthouse giclée prints based on a reference photograph by Raymond Lombardo. Available through the museum, the proceeds from these prints will directly benefit ongoing preservation efforts, ensuring this beloved maritime sentinel remains a proud fixture of the North Fork landscape.
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