By Joyce Maher

We're happy to announce that two CNHA members, Pat Bane and I will travel to The International Lighthouse Conference in Southampton, Ontario, Canada June 1st through the 4th. It is being held in the Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre. It is entitled Capturing the Past and Securing the Future. The Centre is located in a bird sanctuary on Chantry Island in Lake Huron. We are very pleased to have been invited. Both Pat and I, and many other members, have been lighthouse volunteers since CNHA acquired it. At a recent board meeting, the trip was approved unanimously as all felt it was important for members to attend to meet and greet other friends groups, hear their stories and tell them ours.

A unique feature of the Assateague Lighthouse is the vanished village of Assateague so that will be part of the formal talk. Our topic is Preservation through Partnerships and we will discuss how we work together with The United States Fish and Wildlife Agency, the U.S. Coast Guard and many others. We will show some photos, give lots of facts, and throw in stories of events past and present while telling of our great attendance and successful arts shows and tiny gift shop.

Besides letting more people know about us, we hope to get information about grant funding, finding out how some other groups have coped with lead paint and general maintenance expenses.

Just a few of the topics covered will be Getting the Younger Generation Involved, How to Start a Lighthouse Museum, The Future Needs of Lighthouse Preservation, Lighthouse Preservation the American Story, and much more.

Preserving lighthouses is a very important way of honoring the maritime history of our country so reciprocity of ideas is very useful. CNHA is pleased to have become part of the effort to ensure these old structures remain for future generations, but we're new to this responsibility and it'll be beneficial to mix with groups who have been involved in it for many years.