GEORGETOWN — A National Park Service conservator says the lighthouse lens on Seguin Island is in good shape and should be preserved.

Conservator Greg Byrne said he was worried before seeing the lens, but now believes it can be stabilized.

The assessment comes as good news to the Friends of Seguin Island, which wants the First Order Fresnel Lens to remain on the island as a working aid to navigation and a living reminder of Maine’s maritime heritage. The U.S. Coast Guard wants to replace the lens with a solar-powered light, saying it would cost much less to maintain and operate.

Earlier this year, Adm. James M. Loy, commandant of the Coast Guard, said he would postpone converting the lighthouse to a solar-powered beacon until 2003.

Friends of Seguin then started a petition drive seeking to show the Coast Guard that there is widespread public support for keeping the lens on the island and in working order. The petition will be presented to Loy in September.

The Coast Guard says it will save hundreds of thousands of dollars if it replaces the historic lens with a solar-powered lens. Coast Guard officials have said they are willing to keep the lens in the tower, but do not want to power it. The lens was manufactured in France in the 1850s by the Henry-LePaute Co. It was installed at Seguin in 1857. The Coast Guard inspects and cleans it every three months.

The Friends of Sequin Island plan to present Byrne’s assessment to Loy and the Maine Historic Preservation Commission. The lighthouse is on the National Register of Histnorthern part of the park.

Despite landowner hesitation, Andersoneriorating or missing. Those strips hold the panes inside brass fixtures, which, according to Byrne, are in good shape.

“I’m not disappointed in the condition of the lens,” said Byrne, who will recommend options and costs for restoring the lens.