Lighthouses are definitely one of our priority issues.
Catherine Cunningham, Michigan Coastal Management Program For centuries, lighthouses have served as guideposts for mariners navigating through treacherous waters or setting a safe route of passage to their next destination. But as new technologies render some lighthouses obsolete, coastal resource managers may have to help chart a new course through the challenging political waters of multigovernmental jurisdiction, intense public interest, and various natural and historic resource issues to save these beacons of the past. Almost all of Michigan's lighthouses have historic or architectural significance and are listed in, or eligible for listing in, the National Register of Historic Places. By 2005, a total of 77 of Michigan's lighthouses are scheduled to be declared in excess of the federal government's needs, meaning that new stewards must be found for almost two-thirds of the state's lighthouses. The offshore lights are more difficult to place due to issues of accessibility, high maintenance costs, and potential constraints on future uses.