Pigeon Point lighthouse will be transferred to state today

The Coast Guard is transferring the Pigeon Point Lighthouse to to the California Parks Department in a ceremony at the lighthouse today.  The long account in today’s Mercury News is well worth reading.

Despite its significance, this landmark is being preserved with private money. The state park system has no money to restore the lighthouse. The private California State Parks Foundation is raising $5 million over the next five year to renovate the lighthouse, which has been damaged by time and storms. Meanwhile, the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) has bought much the surrounding land to keep it from being developed.