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Harbor Of Refuge Lighthouse Needs Money and Muscle

Group Short On Young Volunteers

Earlier this year, Lighthouse News featured a story about the Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse in Delaware, which has huge holes underneath its foundation and the breakwall it sits upon from the scouring action of waves. The Army Corps of Engineers conducted a side scan survey of the breakwall and discovered ten to twelve ton rocks displaced. But that’s not what this current article is about. A recent article at Delmarva.Com highlighted the fund raising efforts of the Delaware River & Bay Lighthouse Foundation to raise $12,000 by the end of the year for some of the repairs. But that’s not what this article is about either. What caught the eye of Lighthouse News in the Delmarva story was a quote by Foundation President Judith Roales.

Here is the part of the story that made me think:

The foundation has about 140 members, but fewer than a dozen are active volunteers, Roales said. That core group has two retired members — Roales is one — and the rest work and have families, making the foundation’s job of preserving the lighthouses even harder.

Roales wishes the foundation had a younger base of supporters because a lot of the manual labor is done by its older volunteers. In 2004, some of the members repainted the Harbor of Refuge lighthouse, and it already needs more work in addition to replacing the door.

“Almost everyone is 50 and older. We need some young, strong muscle to do some of the work,” she said. “What we need are some 20-somethings, instead of us 60-somethings.”

This is not an uncommon scenario with lighthouse preservation groups. Many have a core group of volunteers that do most of the work, and the majority of them are older, retired. Although people are living longer and are healthy for longer, there’s no denying the aches and pains of age. What would take an older person all day to do, someone in their twenties can do it in half the time. I personally suffer from degenerative disc disease, and know others my age and even younger suffer from various other forms of arthritis or other physical problems.

Volunteers paint Head Harbor Lighthouse (East Quoddy)

The face of volunteerism is changing. It’s no longer the stay at home mom who needs something to do when the kids go off to school. That stay at home mom is off to work. Weekends are used for catching up on all the chores. Other agencies and organizations are recruiting volunteers heavily as budgets are cut, leaving lighthouse preservation wanting.

How Do We Capture the Younger Generation?

Organizations that can use a lot of manual labor (painting, scraping, repairing structures, hauling building supplies up rocky slopes, etc.) might want to start thinking outside the box. Volunteer recruiters may want to look at alternative young people. Besides going into schools with presentations on lighthouses (don’t forget the connection to pirates…everyone is fascinated by them now) and lighting the fire of involvement, perhaps a high school or middle school would like to take on a project for one of their history classes. It wouldn’t be that hard to set up with a school. Teachers are always looking for creative ideas to capture their students’ imaginations and keep the desire for learning alive.

What about teens and young adults sentenced in court to do Community Service? I’m not referring to violent criminals here, but those whose sentences are to do a stint of community service rather than detention time. Often these are things we did as youngsters and which were considered pranks, but now are considered minor crimes. Here in Maine, we have Volunteers of America, which runs the community service program. Your local court can direct you to the appropriate agency.

Involving Families

Whether it’s parents with their children, or grandparents with their grandkids, volunteering can be a family affair. Does your group have a family volunteering program yet? In a 1998 study of volunteer motivations among Baby Boomers and Generation X employees, 52% of non-volunteers reported that volunteering “takes me away from family and friends.” Yet 65% of Baby Boomers and 68% of Generation Xers were interested in volunteering when “a family member or friend is involved.” And 53% of Baby Boomers and 39% of Generation Xers were interested in “activities I can do with my family.”

These are just a few thoughts brought on by the story. If you have any suggestions, share them in comments at the end of this story, or if you prefer, just contact me. I’d like to do a series on alternate ways of volunteer recruitment and retention, and involving the younger generation is of major importance. We won’t be around forever, but our lighthouses will live on thanks to the work we’re doing today. But who will care for them when we’re gone?

Photo credits:

• Harbor of Refuge by CellPhoneSusie. Some rights reserved.
• Up With the Birds by headharbourlight. Some rights reserved.

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Cape Ray Lighthouse Closes This Year

Volunteer Shortage Is the Reason

With all the lighthouses opening up around now in the northern hemisphere, it was a shock to read that one won’t be providing visitors with the chance to climb to the top. Cape Ray Lighthouse, in Newfoundland, is suffering from a lack of volunteers to man the lighthouse and museum, and is being forced to close. Dennis and Bernice Tavener managed to run the museum gift shop and lighthouse tours all by themselves last year, but can’t see themselves doing it all alone again this year, according to an article in the St. John’s Telegram. The two retirees say they can’t dedicate another summer to running things without any help.

The story goes on to say that the local committee to run the lighthouse was formed about 11 years ago, with 10 members. Six students were also hired each year to help with the workload, through the help of the former South West Coast Development Association, who did the applications and helped manage the students. When the Development Association closed its doors a few years ago, the volunteers also dwindled. The students, funded positions which are hard to get, was down to only 3 last year.

Giving of Time and Money

The Taveners, besides singlehandedly working six and sometimes seven days in July and August, would also regularly drive into nearby Port Aux Basques to purchase candy for the gift shop when supplies ran low. “We spent all of our time out there,” said Bernice. “You get burned out.”

Besides doing all that, Bernice was the treasurer for the committee, and Dennis would decorate the lighthouse and gift shop with lights and wreaths at Christmas. He said in the story that if only a few people had stepped up to help manage the students, and put in a few hours at the lighthouse, they’d still be able to open. “But nobody stepped forward to fill the gap.”

Museum Showcases History of Area

From the website of the Museum Association of Newfoundland, the museum at Cape Ray highlights the area’s history and prehistory. Among the exhibits is the one showcasing the Paleo-Eskimo First Nation Group who once made their home at the Cape between 1900 and 1200 years ago. Artifacts from this period include endblades, knives, scrapers, side scrapers, and microblades, all of which were excavated at the site. The center also highlights the communications history of the area, as Cape Ray was the site of an underwater telegraph cable which connected Nova Scotia to Newfoundland in 1856.

Lack of Volunteers a Major Problem Everywhere

It’s not only Cape Ray that has the problem of a dwindling force of volunteers, although there’s is an extreme case. It’s every lighthouse group that has to come up with creative ways to find and keep volunteers. The traditional volunteer, a mother with time on her hands after the kids go to school has long disappeared off the landscape. The retirees, who are still active, have carried the burden for too long. And their numbers are shrinking. Lighthouse groups need to do more to recruit and retain volunteers, and should have a committee, or at least one existing volunteer, dedicated to that task.

Groups also need to think outside the box at times, and realize that not every person is suited for a docent role. Also, that an effort needs to be made to recruit the younger generations, rather than strictly accepting retirees. We need a multitude of different talents to keep out beloved beacons preserved and teaching us our history well into the future.

Something To Ponder

Let me quote something that Bob Trapani, Jr., CEO of the American Lighthouse Foundation, recently wrote:

In the world of lighthouses, there are few joys that surpass the opportunity to climb the stairs of a light tower, up to the lantern in the sky, where at once the enchanting realm of the sea and coastline takes hold of our thoughts and stirs our innermost emotions in a profound manner.

It is extremely sad that visitors to Cape Ray will not have this opportunity to experience a memorable moment such as Trapani describes.

Photo credit: Cape Ray Lighthouse by hanahk1 on Webshots.

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Volunteer Lighthouse Keeper Wanted

Who wouldn’t want to spend one or two months on the shores of beautiful Lake Superior in the midst of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore? If you can’t resist a volunteer opportunity of a lifetime, read on…

Live In Lightkeepers House

Volunteer apartments in the lightkeepers house at Au Sable Light will be provided for a volunteer Au Sable Lightstation Museum Attendant and a volunteer Au Sable Lighthouse Interpretive Assistant. Both positions run from July 1 through September 1 and you would be expected to either work in the lighthouse museum in the keeper’s quarters or lead tours to the lighthouse.

Museum Assistant

Au Sable Light Station Museum Assistant Lighthouse assistants provide staffing for a small maritime museum in the head keepers quarters. Volunteer assists rangers and other volunteers facilitate tours of the assistant keepers residence and tower. A volunteer apartment is available in the head keepers quarters at the lighthouse. Orientation to the park operation is provided by park staff. Dates: July 1 - Labor Day Contact: Pam Baker, 906-387-3700 pamela_baker@nps.gov

Interpretive Assistant

Au Sable Light Station Interpretive Assistant Lighthouse assistants provide interpretive programming with a park ranger during 30 minute guided tours of the assistant keepers residence and tower. A volunteer apartment is available in the head keepers quarters at the lighthouse. Orientation to the park operation is provided by park staff. Dates: July 1 - Labor Day Contact: Pam Baker 906-387-3700 pamela_baker@nps.gov

Park Details

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore was authorized in 1966 as America’s first national lakeshore. This 73,000 acre park extends for over 40 miles along the south shore of Lake Superior. The Lakeshore is a spectacular mosaic of 200′ high sandstone cliffs, inland lakes and streams, five square miles of sand dunes, wetlands, and upland beech-maple hardwoods. The human history of the park includes prehistoric habitation, Anishinabe, early explorers, blast furnace, maritime, logging, and post-war recreational sites. The 1874 Au Sable Light Station is an icon of the park’s rich human history.

Requirements

Adults or seniors. Duty is rated as not difficult.

Direct Applications

Au Sable Light Station Museum Assistant Volunteer Application

Au Sable Light Station Interpretive Assistant Volunteer Application

An Addendum

You will find no other place on earth as breathtakingly beautiful as this area. Take it from someone who spent most of her life in Michigan. Don’t miss this chance.

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Tours Need Leaders

One of the more unusual lighthouses is in need of volunteers to lead tours on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Oak Island Lighthouse in Caswell Beach, North Carolina, is a fairly new light. It is constructed of colored concrete so it never needs painting. What makes it unique, though, is the interior. Rather than the usual spiral staircase, it is a series of laffers that visitors climb.

Because of the steepness, tours are only taken to the second level, which gives you a view of the working light. To go all the way to the top, persons need to make special reservations for the tour.

Unless the Friends of the Oak Island Lighthouse can get more volunteers, the tours might not be able to last through the summer. According to the story, there are no special requirements to be a docent, and people from as far away as Wilmington are encouraged to join them.

For more of the story, see Star News Online. Or you can visit the Friend’ website at www.oakislandlighthouse.org.

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Park Service seeks volunteers

From the Virginian Pilot comes news that the Park Service is looking for volunteer staff for the summer to guide tourists through the oil house and to look at the 214 stairs of the Bodie Island Lighthouse. Visitors still can’t climb to the tower due to ongoing reconstruction.

Read more from the site.