“STOP - PLEASE READ.” I tend to not be a sign reader, but this sign that sat at the start of the trail seemed to have an important message. The Sandy Hook Nature Trail, which I was set to explore, winds through the state park and is carved by the feet of thousands of visitors from all over the world every year. The southernmost half of the point is a state park managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The point itself extends south out into Lake Huron for about 2 miles and marks the northern edge of Saginaw Bay. The path I planned to walk split Tawas Point down the middle, and it conveniently began only a few steps away from the back door of the lighthouse. The point is technically surrounded by the same body of water, but the east and west sides have completely different temperaments. The other, more visible body of water – Tawas Bay – sat quietly and calmly only a few Their rhythmic crashing and the early summer sun reminded me of some of my most pleasant memories of childhood, where I would spend all day in Lake Michigan swimming and surfing almost every warm summer day.
The peak of bird migration typically occurs during the third week of May, my first week as keeper.Īlthough the water’s edge of the fourth-largest lake in the world, Lake Huron, was over 200 yards to my left, I could still hear the waves clearly. With it being two weeks prior to that, I was surprised to see hundreds of people already walking past the lighthouse and strolling the beaches that morning.īirdwatchers, or “birders,” flocked by the thousands to Tawas Point during the whole month of May, many traveling from out of state to attend the annual Tawas Birding Festival. The biggest tourism season along Great Lakes beaches unofficially begins on Memorial Day. What I didn't expect, though, were the birdwatchers. I would be giving lighthouse tours to upwards of 50 visitors a day, doing research about the Great Lakes for one of my college classes, and hopefully spending some time recovering from and reflecting on my sophomore year of college, which had ended only a week before this new adventure began. I am a student in the Great Lakes Writers Corps at the University of Michigan. I knew what to expect going into my two-week-long shift as keeper.
#Tawas point lighthouse keeper free#
My keeper duties were not set to begin until noon, so I decided to spend my first free hours exploring my new temporary home on foot. The sun was already perched high above Lake Huron when I stepped through the mayfly-covered screen door of the keepers’ quarters, down three creaky steps and into my first day as lighthouse keeper at Tawas Point in Iosco County.
#Tawas point lighthouse keeper update#
23, 2.5 miles southeast of East Tawas, the lighthouse is open for tours from early May to mid-October, every day except Tuesdays.Share or view as webpage | Update preferences Located in Tawas Point State Park, off U.S. Tawas Point Lighthouse is one of 11 nationally accredited museums administered by the Michigan Historical Center, an agency within the Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with the DNR Parks and Recreation Division.
Applications and detailed information are available at Dates and prices are effective through 2014. Chuck Allen, supervisor at Tawas Point State Park, suggests that volunteers should be physically able to lead tours through the lighthouse and tower and perform housekeeping duties such as light maintenance or yard work. The lighthouse keeper program is open to singles and couples 18 years and older. “Wonderful program, wonderful facility and wonderful memories.” “I feel blessed to have many memories of folks I met this week,” former keeper Robert Ulrich wrote in the Lighthouse Keeper Journal. Serving as a lighthouse keeper allows vacationers to enjoy a unique lodging experience with spectacular views, while supporting and preserving a historical landmark. The living quarters include two bedrooms, a modern kitchen and bath. In exchange for their work contribution, volunteers are able to stay in the newly renovated keeper’s quarters for a cost of $250 per person, per week. Volunteer duties include studying the lighthouse’s rich maritime history, leading guests on lighthouse tours and other miscellaneous duties. 20 acting as lighthouse keepers for the Tawas Point Lighthouse, located on the grounds of Tawas Point State Park along the shores of Lake Huron in East Tawas. The DNR seeks volunteers to spend a week or two between March 1 and Dec. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering a fresh idea in vacation destinations.
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