Michigan's Secretary of State, Candice S. Miller announced that public and private organizations will be eligible for assistance in developing plans to preserve endangered lighthouses under a new State of Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program.

Miller, also the state's official historian, made the announcement in Grand Have, Michigan at the Coast Guard Festival where she also participated in the ceremonial transfer of seven Michigan lighthouses from ownership by the U.S. Coast Guard to public and private organizations, including the state of Michigan. The ceremony marked the first series of lighthouse transfers orchestrated, in part, by the Michigan Lighthouse Project.

"Lighthouses are a symbol of Michigan and the must be protected," Secretary Miller added.

Under the Lighthouse Assistance Program, the Secretary of States Office and the Michigan Lighthouse Project will sponsor a $100,000 grant program to assist local communities in preserving their area lighthouses. This fall applications for grants up to $20,000 will be accepted by the State Historic Preservation Office, operated by the Michigan Department of State. Grants will be awarded early next year on a local matching basis.

Among the Michigan light stations celebrated in the transfer were Eagle Harbor, Sand Point, Seul Choix Point, Whitefish Point, Forty Mile Point, St. Clair Flats South Channel and Tawas Point Lighthouses. Miller stated that a total of 77 Michigan lighthouses, including the seven already transferred , will be turned over to private and community organizations.