A nonprofit that supports the Heceta Head Lightstation has received a $19,492 state parks grant to help pay for replacing six interpretive signs there.
The grant from Oregon State Parks and Recreation to the Keepers of Heceta Lightstation helps nonprofits maintain heritage sites around the state by matching funds raised for projects.
Heceta Head’s severe marine environment takes its toll on the buildings and fixtures of the 132- year-old installation, the nonprofit said in announcing the award. Existing signs suffer from rust, fading and vandalism, the organization said.
The signs explain an aspect of the lives of native tribes, settlers and diverse wildlife of the region. The signs’ content will be created in a collaboration with Oregon State Parks, the U.S. Forest Service, Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians and the Keepers organization. Work will begin in December and take up to 18 months to complete, the organization said.
At least 25,000 visitors a year walk the path along where the signs are placed, the organization said, and as many as 1 million visit the beach and viewpoints in the 700-acre Heceta Head area.
The Keepers organization raises money for restoration projects through donations, raffles and events such as the Victorian Christmas open house, National Lighthouse Day and Halloween ghost tours. Volunteers also provide free, 20-minute guided tours of the Keepers’ House.
“My grandparents were lighthouse keepers and raised my father on the lightstations,” said Lightstation Keepers board president Brian Bray. “I grew up with stories of the joys and travails at Pacific lightstations. Before automation, keepers’ and their families not only kept the light going night and day, but also meticulously maintained the lighthouse, the keepers’ houses, and surrounding grounds.”
Bray said the group now works with state parks, the Forest Service and the Heceta Lighthouse Bed and Breakfast “to carry on that tradition.”
