LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS PLUS

The Friends is a non-profit volunteer group affiliated with Friends of the Bruce, Friends of Flowerpot Island and Friends of Fathom Five, all organizations dedicated to preserving the seafaring history of the peninsula. There had been plans to tear down the old lighthouse until Friends of Cabot Head volunteers stepped in and took over its restoration and maintenance by vigorously fundraising and applying for grants as well as doing most of the work themselves. The old lighthouse was long ago replaced by an automated light tower erected by the Canadian Coast Guard. A foot path from the lighthouse leads to the tranquil Wingfield Basin, a nature reserve where up to a dozen sailboats moor every night. VOLUNTEER KEEPER PROGRAMS LAKE MICHIGAN Big Sable Point Lighthouse (MI) Fee charged, minimum two week duty period Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association P.O. The 1896 Cabot Head lighthouse is located on a slip of land jutting into Georgian Bay between Lions Head and Tobermory, perched on a 24-metre cliff with spectacular views over forest and water. There will be an additional refundable security deposit though the amount has yet to be determined given this is a new program for 2014 and details are all in the development stage.įor the past 15 years, Cabot Head has been running a similar program for volunteer hosts who stay for one week in the original 19th century wooden lighthouse on the property but that program is fully booked for the 2014 season. Open to the public on Sundays, Discovery Volunteers take guided tours of the lighthouse, explaining the history of the area, the building of the lighthouse and. Host duties include operating the attached gift shop, assisting tourists and helping maintain the grounds around the lighthouse.Ĭost is set at $25 per person, per week and there will be two options: two- or four-week stays, or possibly longer. In addition, hosts could use a bedroom for their teenagers who can rack up hours toward their high school mandatory community service program. There is also the option of having family or guests stay in one of the bedrooms for a short term at a market rate. Others using the cottage are short term and could include visiting board members or researchers though for the most part, the volunteer host will have the cottage to themselves.

LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS PLUS

The quaint red and white cottage at Cabot Head Lighthouse station offers one private bedroom plus shared use of the kitchen, living room and bathroom.

A solar system provides some hot water and solar lights at night.Īfter the tour boats have finished their trips for the day and the visitors have left, as you watch the sunset from the porch, you and your family or friends will experience what a magical and special place the Flowerpot Island Light Station is.BRUCE PENINSULA - One of the most successful volunteer lighthouse keeper programs on the Bruce Peninsula has expanded to add yet another unique host experience for intrepid vacationers. The island is “off-grid” but the kitchen has a propane stove for cooking and the outdoor cookhouse has a solar oven and a propane BBQ.

The hosts stay in a three bedroom bungalow cottage. Hosts take care of day to day duties, including greeting visitors, managing the store, answering questions, giving general information and waving at the tour boats as they pass by! Keeping the store and museum cleaned and stocked as well as tending to the gardens are some duties assigned. Friends of Bruce District Parks Press ReleaseĮver dreamt of living like a Light House Keeper? Now’s your chance! The Friends of Bruce District Parks run a volunteer Light House Keeper program on Flowerpot Island over the summer months. As a keeper, you become part of a long line of individuals and families that have kept this light shining and open to the public for over 20 years.

Lighthouse keeper volunteer programs