We often hear of people having serial disasters, but a lighthouse? As background for new Forum registrants: St. George Reef Light, near Crescent City, CA, formed a preservation society to restore the light which is about 6 miles out to sea. Their first step was to restore the lantern room, which required it be airlifted to shore by a helicopter. Something went wrong, and the lantern room crashed to the beach ---disaster 1 was having it basically demolished. This had been a courtesy lift by the helicopter group.
Disaster 2 was having to now raise money to re-build it (money which was needed and originally targeted to restoring the interior of the lighthouse.
Well, the lantern room is about 99% restored and was scheduled to be courtesy airlifted back ontop of the tower out at sea this spring. The same helicopter group (might have been Coast Guard or such) came to examine the new lantern room; and after much debate, decided that it was NOT capable of safely doing a PRECISION lowering of the lantern room onto the framework of the tower at sea. So they regretfully backed away.
Disaster 3: The lantern room is on land, ready to go. The tower is out at sea, ready to receive. And there is only ONE helicopter company in the entire U.S. which is capable of doing this precision lowering technique. It is located fairly close by at Medford, OR---- the Erickson Sky Grane Company. Of course, St. George was hoping this operation would be done gratis for this historical non-profit group. The answer was no. The company's fee would be between $20.000 to $25,000 to fly the lantern room out and precision-lower it and connect it to the tower. The group just does not have the money.
So the disaster is again -- a tower not where it should be, and no money to get it where the group wants to put it.
It is hard enough to raise funds to do a land-based lighthouse restoration, but to do one under such daunting circumstances at sea is to be admired. It is just not fair-in-life that this dedicated and well-meaning preservation group has been struck with this series of disasters.
Of course, they will need even more financial help now, and are hoping some corporation(s) interested in lighthouses and U.S. maritime history might come to their aid, as well as donations from individuals. Our Forum has seen postings on St. George this whole year, as St. George was voted in as the winner of our wacko pin project for 2001, whose pins will be arriving soon. But our wacko group donation is only a small drop in a "big ocean of need".
Guy Towers, Director of this lighthouse group, called me long distance this weekend to keep our committee up-to-date on the lantern room. This winter he had told me it would be put back in place this spring (until this newest financial setback occurred). The history card I wrote which will accompany your wacko pin reflected the spring date. Now he is saying it will probably not be until fall or whenever they can raise enough money to pay the company.
This date setbback is disaster 4: expecting the lantern room to be in place this summer, the preservation group had negotiated with the CA Wildlife Dept. to allow them to conduct helicopter tours out to St. George for specific months, starting in spring 2002 (evidentally the reef is not open during some months because of bird nesting and maybe seals in residence). These tours were going to be a major fundraiser for this group to raise funds to continue to restore the interior of the light. They NEED to be able to do these tours as scheduled, and a lantern-room-attached will make it more enticing.
Think what an exciting trip you all could have going out to sea, landing and touring the ONLY lighthouse-at-sea open to the public. Well, this can still happen ---- if they can just somehow get the funds to put the lantern room back in place.
If you would like to make your own donation or know of some interested group or persons, please send your checks to Guy Towers. He is also the one to call about making advance reservations for those helicopter tours, which will be much in demand.
Guy Towers, Director
St. George Reef Preservation Society,
P.O. Box 577
Crescent City, CA 95531
Home phone: (707) 839-5798
**he has no e-mail
Barbara Hupp, Coordinator
Wacko Pin Committee
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ladylightkeeper
