Round Island Lighthouse (MI) threatened by high water
Michigan’s Round Island Lighthouse stands on an uninhabited island in the Straits of Mackinac, where this summer’s historically high water levels of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron converge. Without more protective riprap to keep the waves at bay, members of the Round Island Lighthouse Preservation Society are worried that next spring’s thaw will break up ice that will be driven by waves into the structure. Installing an outer layer of protective rocks will cost around $250,000. To date, the society has raised just 10% of that.
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Spain’s Cabo de Ajo Lighthouse gets an artistic treatment
Spanish artist Okuda San Miguel has completed his colorful transformation of the Cabo de Ajo lighthouse entitled “Infinite Cantabria.” Since opening to the public at the end of August 2020, the work has been viewed by over ten thousand recorded visitors.
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South Buffalo Lighthouse gets a facelift
New York’s South Buffalo Lighthouse (a.k.a. Buffalo South Breakwater Light) was built when the breakwater system at Buffalo was completed. Buffalo still has the largest stone-based breakwater system in the world, extending from the Outer Harbor to the Niagara River. The lighthouse, established in 1903, was painted over the Summer. It was the first paint job on the lower section of the tower in over 50 years.
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Fundraiser aims to anchor ‘Lightkeeper’ sculpture at Port Clinton Lighthouse, NY
When former Port Clinton, New York, sculptor Andy Sacksteder offered to place his bronze sculpture “The Lightkeeper” in the shadow of the Port Clinton Lighthouse in June, members of the Port Clinton Lighthouse Conservatory felt it would be a short-term treat for visitors and residents. “We were so taken with the sculpture, its beauty, and the nautical and lighthouse themes, I recruited local friends to brainstorm a way to buy it for the city,” said Debbie Hymore-Tester, owner of CG Salon and Nail Bar, a Port Clinton salon.
Three Port Clinton locations will be accepting donations, said Hymore-Tester. They are the CG Salon and Nail Bar, Bolte Insurance and the Great Lakes Popcorn Company, all in downtown Port Clinton. You can also send a donation to the Port Clinton Lighthouse Conservancy with the form below.
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Officials plan weeks-long National Public Lands Day event for Jupiter Lighthouse (FL)
For more than 25 years, the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse property has taken part in National Public Lands Day. Like seemingly everything else in 2020, this year’s occasion will be different. But officials at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management have a plan.
Rather than hosting a one-day event, federal officials will hold a month-long occasion to mark the day (typically the fourth Saturday in September).
From Tuesday through Sept. 25, the Bureau of Land Management is asking visitors to the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area to pick up and remove trash from the 120-acre property.
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Two docents at Admiralty Head Lighthouse (WA) are Washington State Parks 2019 volunteers of the year
Cheri and David Anderson are Washington State Parks 2019 volunteers of the year. “They have been instrumental in helping to keep our docent program running smooth,” said Sharon Young Hale, a program specialist, and the Andersons’ boss, in a statement. The Andersons are both docents at the Admiralty Head Lighthouse, and David is also a member of the Fort Casey Volunteer Battalion.
Combined, the couple estimated they have spent 200-300 hours a year volunteering at the park. Although Cheri loves the lighthouse, it’s more about the people she volunteers with that keeps her coming back, she said.
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Lighthouse News of the Week is produced by the U.S. Lighthouse Society to support lighthouse preservation, history, education and research.
If you have items of interest to the lighthouse community and its supporters, please email them to Jeremy at Jeremy@uslhs.org
Jeremy D’Entremont is the author of more than 20 books and hundreds of articles on lighthouses and maritime history. He is the president and historian for the American Lighthouse Foundation and founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, and he has lectured and narrated cruises throughout the Northeast and in other regions. He is also the producer and host of the U.S. Lighthouse Society podcast, “Light Hearted.” He can be emailed at Jeremy@uslhs.org