1. Esopus Meadows is the only remaining wooden
lighthouse on the Hudson River and is listed
on the National Register of Historic Places.

2. The Hudson River is the gateway to the Erie
and Champlain Canals. The lighthouse has
helped to guide both commercial and pleasure
craft into the NYS canal system since 1871.

3. The lighthouse is viewed by hundreds of
vessels who traverse the "Inland Waterway"
twice each season and serves as a symbol of
New York's maritime heritage.

4. The lighthouse is owned and maintained by the
Save Esopus Lighthouse Commission, not the
Coast Guard and not a federal, state or local
agency.

5. On May 31, 2003 the light will be returned
to the lantern room after 40 years.

6. The folks of the Save Esopus Lighthouse
Commission have worked long and hard to
bring this lighthouse back from a severe
state of neglect. There is still a long way
to go and every bit of financial assistance
is appreciated.

7. The lighthouse is open to the public. They
have workdays on Sundays and Mondays during
the season and all are welcome to help out.
Once restoration is completed it will be
open for tours and possibly bed & breakfast
accomodation.

8. Esopus Meadows has been nominated for the
Wacko Pin Project for five years. Obviously
there is interest in this lighthouse.

9. We have helped very deserving lighthouses in
the past. They have all been "salt water"
lights. Now is the time to recognize and
help out one of the "fresh water" lights.
The lighthouse may be small change compared
with some of it's big brothers but no less
deserving.

10.



(For further information on Esopus Meadows Lighthouse please visit their website.)

I second that emotion.

Dennis

I'm with you 100% Sue!

Couldn't agree with you more Sue!

Would you be my campaign manager, Sue?
It has been on our list for 5 years as Sue says, so it's need and merit should be recognized this year. They've proved as a Preservation Commission they can do their job, so let's give them our support in 2004.
Bob

Bob's reason #11 is this- it's the closest to a LI Lighthouse on the list.

Dennis

For those interested, the relighting ceremony is coming up soon. May 31st, Lighthouse Park, River Road, Ulster Park - 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Don't forget your flashlight, blanket or lawn chair.

Espous seems the clear winner this year, as we now have Bodie "out of the way". Looking on the site, it has all of the votes!

Seagirt: Thank you for your interest in the wacko pin voting. Just a note of clarification on your posting. The voting process has just begun two days ago. We have a whole week and another weekend yet before the final vote will be tallied.

Anyone registered on the Forums can submit one vote for their favorite lighthouse. Those votes must be sent ONLY to the two addresses listed under the voting rules thread. There are 4 finalists on the slate, and any one of them could turn out to be the winner.

If you kept track of the number of times Esopus was NOMINATED, it was true that it appeared a goodly amount of times. That is why it now appears on this slate of finalists, for the voting phase. But you cannot, in fairness to the other contenders, say that Esopus is the winner. The vote has only just started.

That is like the national tv networks announcing who the election winners are on the East Coast before the West Coast polls have closed. That has definitely affected the U.S. election process and influenced West Coasters not to bother going to the polls. Our Wacko committee would really like to see all Wackos and newbies cast their vote, to be fair to all lighthouses which appear on that slate.

Not until the election is over, can anyone assume who the lucky winner is. Whichever wins, it will hopefully be because we all took the time to seriously consider these lighthouses and make our choice via one vote.

The committee thanks all registered Forum members for participating in this important voting activity. Please look at the thread on voting rules and make your vote count today.

Keep the Flame Lit.

Barb

I for one haven't decided on my vote...I may not even vote for one I nominated. I recall that a couple years ago, SE Block was an 11th hour nomination that won the final vote in the end. This was the result of some very "eye-opening" pictures that were posted about the state it was in.

I really hope that those who know more about these lights and their preservation groups will take some time to campaign on their behalf...as Sue has in this thread...EDUCATE ME!

Let me tell you all that I have voted for the winner in all of the prior pins, so I am a good luck charm if you can sway my vote