|
Editorial by Cheryl Shelton-Roberts
Cofounder and newsletter editor Outer Banks Lighthouse Society
The Currituck Beach Lighthouse and the 0.8 acre upon which it sits has been declared surplus government property and will be transferred to a new owner. For the first time in history, the amended National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act 2000 places nonprofits on equal footing with government organizations applying for ownership of lighthouses.
To date, two groups are applying for ownership of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. The nonprofit Outer Banks Conservationists, Inc., is the current stewards of the lighthouse under a lease with the state. A second entity, the Currituck County Commissioners, also plans to apply for ownership. To date, the county commissioners have not expressed in writing their plans for maintenance or fundraising or how they would keep the lighthouse open for climbing.
The mission of the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society (OBLHS) is to aid in the preservation of North Carolina Lighthouses. It is our wish that future generations have the opportunity to see, climb, and understand the history of lighthouses and their vital role in the development of our state and nation. OBLHS will work with any entity that is achieving these goals at North Carolina lighthouses. Foremost, our concern is that each lighthouse be in the hands of a group that cares about the structure, its history, and preservation.
Therefore, the OBLHS board of directors has voted to support the nonprofit Outer Banks Conservationists, Inc. (OBC) to continue as stewards of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. Our public support for the OBC is based on their 21 years of work at the light station that realized complete restoration of the tower, keeper’s quarters, and other buildings, and publication of oral histories of their keepers’ families. They accomplished remarkable restoration without much support from government entities at a time when lighthouses were not considered worthy of public attention. Obviously, lighthouses have now captured the imagination of Americans. And equally, lighthouses have become a great point of pride for the citizens of North Carolina, which is home to some of the finest examples of coastal lighthouses in the nation.
OBLHS also feels that diversity of ownership is key to the survival of lighthouses. In a time when the economy slows, as now, it takes little time for the cutbacks in funding, which dictate priority of federal projects, to reach the doorsteps of our government-owned lighthouses as with Bodie Island. Nonprofits are often in a better position to raise funds privately and accomplish repairs in a timely fashion.
Consider some of the finest restoration projects on the East Coast, and to name some: Montauk Point, Currituck Beach, Tybee Island, St. Augustine, Ponce de Leon Inlet, and Key West- these are all restored, preserved, and maintained by nonprofits. Other nonprofits all over America that have poured years of work and emotions into restoration of lighthouses are watching this case involving the transfer of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse.
At this time of great distress and sadness in our country, we must fight to preserve our historic sites. There are several venues in which you may express your support: a petition, write a letter to North Carolina elected officials serving in the North Carolina or Federal Governments; and/or congressmen and senators from any state serving in federal government. You can also use email to contact any of these individuals. You may send your letters also to:
Ms. Lloyd D. Childers,
Executive Director/Light Keeper
Currituck Beach Lighthouse
Post Office Box 58
Corolla, NC 27927
The lighthouse community is strong- and your vote of support is one way we Americans can exert our rights to save our lighthouses, American icons of strength in the face of adversity.
Some elected officials to send emails or letters to are:
Senator Marc Basnight
2007 Legislative Building
Raleigh, NC 27601-2808
email: marcb@ncleg.net
Senator John Edwards
United States Senate Office
225 Dirksen Building
Washington, DC 20510
Email Sen. Edwards from this site: www.senate.gov/~edwards/contact.html
The official who will make the final decision on which entity will acquire the lighthouse is the Secretary of the Interior. The OBLHS encourages you to write to her as well as the elected officials.
Secretary Gale Norton
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C. Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20240
(202) 208-3100
Email: gale_norton@ios.doi.gov
This story appeared in the November 2001 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
All contents copyright © 1995 - 2006 by Lighthouse Digest®, Inc. No story, photograph, or any other item on this website may be reprinted or reproduced without the express permission of Lighthouse Digest. For contact information, click here.
|
Keepers Picks
Build your own lighthouse watch!