For years Lighthouse Digest has encouraged our readership to share stories of their favorite lighthouse restoration effort or of an exciting milestone in a light's history. Lighthouse Digest has also been the one broad outlet for lighthouse enthusiasts nationwide that has shared the timeless and fascinating accounts of yesteryear — those personal stories of the keepers and their families tending the lights through storm, hardship and isolation.

Thanks to the generous response of many of our readers, much in the way of America's lighthouse

history has been saved and shared with the public through both the magazine and our online lighthouse database. But what many do not realize is that Lighthouse Digest can also play a valuable supporting role to preservation through our commitment to educate lighthouse enthusiasts and novices alike on what many great things America's volunteer “lightkeepers” are doing to help save our nation's historic beacons for future generations.

Whether it's helping to spread the word to a larger audience about your group's lighthouse preservation efforts or to highlight a volunteer's “above & beyond” contributions to a specific project, Lighthouse Digest can serve as a bright beacon of awareness to the public at large.

Remember, you and I will not carry the torch for lighthouse preservation forever. At some point new leaders and volunteers will be required to step up and assume the responsibilities for our labor of love. The only way to attract new and effective volunteers is through a commitment to education that strikes a personal chord with younger people. This means alerting people to what is happening today to save your community's lighthouse and how they too can become involved in this rewarding effort. Let Lighthouse Digest help shine a light on your efforts by sharing your unique stories today as we work to inspire a new generation of lighthouse preservationists tomorrow!

Bob Trapani, Jr.

Guest Editor

This story appeared in the August 2006 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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