I know we all care about our dear lighthouses. With everyone's permission, I'd like to start a thread with articles about lighthouses in need. Maybe with everyone's help, these lighthouses can once again be brought back to their glory days. They all deserve our respect.
One of the missions of my website is to bring awareness of the plight many, (let's face it, just about all), lighthouses face in today's world. There aren't enough people who care about them, and without the masses, not enough money to restore them. These wonderful historic treasures will be lost forever without all of us helping. What a shame if my granddaughter misses out on ANY of these lighthouses because too many people were happy to just sit on their "duffs" and let them whither away.
Within our website, we have what we call our "Lighthouse Club". One of the benefits of membership is that once a week, we forward all of the articles and photos about lighthouses which have hit the web that week to all of our members, (Grace will attest to that).
Our hope is that our members will take what they've learned from many of these stories, and perhaps realize that they can do something to help.
It is with that in mind that we, as a company, have resolved that every year, a portion of what we make will be donated to at least one lighthouse restoration cause. It is also the reason why we are proud to be working with the people at Harbour Lights, as we know how supportive of lighthouse restoration they are.
The first article I'll post is about Assateague Lighthouse in Virginia. Please read it, and if nothing else, pass it on to someone else. Perhaps if enough people are aware of these lighthouses, we may be able to help them.
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071204/NEWS01/71204002/-1/ESN

Roland,

The members of the Collector Forums family have always done an excellent job of "putting their money where their mouth is" and supported lighthouse preservation all over the country. We have donated funds from the sale of the Erie Land Light to preservation projects, and will be donating part of the proceeds from the upcoming Wisconsin Point Project. For a number of years we have produced and sold to members what is referred to as the "Wacko Badge" with proceeds going to a preservation project each year (this year funds will go to help rebuild New Canal in New Orlans.) At the Harbour Lights regional events last year and this we have donated a fair amount of funds to lighthouse preservation projects. For instance, in August at the Door County Regional our collectors left the better part of $2000 with the Friends of Rock Island, caretakers of Pottawatomie Light.

These are just a few of the projects this group has been so generous in supporting. Your efforts to promote support of preservation are appreciated and set a positive example for others to follow.

Dave,
Thank you for that, as I am aware of many of the projects you speak of. It is because of the the efforts of the various groups which are represented within this forum that I am humbled to be a part of it.
I know, from reading various posts on this forum, that there are a number of members and guests who frequent CF and never post, or who view the CF from the "outside, in", if you will. It is to those members and friends who may be casual "lighthouse enthusiasts" that I direct my comments to, especially. By also posting these articles, we may all better understand what each individual lighthouse's challenges are, and perhaps, through joint cooperation, (yeah, I know it's a fantasy statement, but it still needs to be said), we can save many more of the world's lighthouses and lightships.

That's the spirit! All that the CF's and lighthouse groups throughout the country - and the world, as a matter of fact - are doing is so vital to the preservation of this important element of history. There is so much to be done, but, if we persevere, we can help save a lot of lighthouses. Unfortunately, many are already doomed, and we will not be able to do anything to help them.

Not meant to discourage your posting of informative links, Roland. Just using the opportunity to let you and our many visitors of the great work done by members. Believe it or not, many of the non-posting group are very active supporters of the various projects we as a group have taken on. And, a number of our member's "home" clubs (such as my own club, the Hoosier Lighthousing Club) have also been very active in fund raising to support lights that they support.

Thanks Dave. I wasn't trying to be disrespectful of all the great work done by members within and outside of this forum. My hat is off to each and every one of you!

Just trying to stress that the more information we can pass on, the more people we can involve in the lighthouse restoration process. As that old commercial said, "Knowing is half the battle"

This article apeared in the Nag's Head, NC "Outer Banks Sentinel" earlier this week. Bodie Island is yet another lighthouses dealing with governmental budget cuts.
http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2007/12/19/top_stories/tops0131.txt