State Lighthouse Fund builds reserve for grants
State Lighthouse Fund builds reserve for grants
Gull Rock among potential beneficiaries
| CAPTION: Gazette file photo Gull Rock Lighthouse, located 2.5 miles off the tip of the Keweenaw, is seen in this file photo. The lighthouse is among 48 in the state to be handled by local stewardship groups. |
By GARRETT NEESE, DMG Writer
LANSING — As National Lighthouse Day approaches, a Michigan non-profit group is hoping to illuminate the need for preserving the state’s remaining markers of maritime history.
The Lansing-based Michigan Lighthouse Fund is working to build a financial reserve fund that would provide grants and loans for local groups overseeing lighthouses.
The group formed in reaction to the wave of Michigan lighthouses being abandoned by the federal government. About two-thirds of federally-owned lighthouses in the state are scheduled for disposal within the next decade.
“For those of us in Michigan who love lighthouses, it was not possible to say, ‘Whatever happens, happens,’” said Jennifer Radcliff, vice president of the Michigan Lighthouse Fund.
Stewardship groups are taking care of 48 lighthouses in the state, Radcliff said.
Beyond getting money for the fund, Radcliff also hopes to draw people’s attention to the resources in their area.
“Hopefully, the goal will be to have people make donations and volunteer their time at their local lighthouses,” she said.
Among those mentioned by the MLF is the Gull Rock Lighthouse, located 2.5 miles off the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula.
The lighthouse, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, routinely takes a beating from the winds and waves of Lake Superior.
Gull Rock Lightkeepers, a non-profit group, maintains the lighthouse. It is seeking $20,000 in donations by Aug. 1 for various projects, including restoring the rotted second floor of the lighthouse and patching the roof.
Radcliff spoke recently with the leaders of the group, who said they were near the fundraising goal.
“They’re working on it,” she said. “There is some good leadership.” Ronald Reagan signed National Lighthouse Day into law in 1988, with the first one being observed thereafter on Aug. 7.
However, past Lighthouse Days have slipped by quietly, with little activity or attention denoting lighthouses’ significance. Radcliff is encouraging residents to visit or otherwise pay attention to lighthouses on the day. “Probably next year, it’ll be an even bigger event,” she said. For more information, go to gullrocklightkeepers.org or www.michiganlighthouse.org.
Garrett Neese can be reached at gneese@mininggazette.com
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