MEDIA ADVISORY

Secretary Norton Travels to Savannah to Launch
National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Program

WASHINGTON -- Interior Secretary Gale Norton will launch the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Program from the base of the Tybee Island lighthouse near Savannah, Ga., Mon., June 10, 2002. Norton will recommend that the Tybee Island Light be transferred to the Tybee Island Historical Society and the St. Augustine Light (St. Augustine, Fla.) be transferred to the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum Inc.

"Historic lighthouses, like Tybee Island and St. Augustine, are national treasures," said Norton. "This program recognizes the cultural, recreational and educational value of these structures by transferring them to the best possible stewards, both public and private, for long-term preservation."

Tybee Island Light and St. Augustine Light are among the first six approved lighthouses of nearly 300 recommended for transfer. The preservation program was established by the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000. The act authorizes the no-cost transfer of historic lighthouses and stations from the U.S. Coast Guard to various federal, local and non-profit organizations.

Norton will host a media availability immediately following the ceremony.

Who: Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior

What: Norton to announce the first six lighthouses to be transferred
            under the Historic Lighthouse Preservation Program from the base
            of Tybee Island Light in Savannah.

When: Monday, June 10, 2002
             Ceremony, 11 a.m.; media availability 11:45 a.m.

Where: Tybee Island Light
               Tybee Island, Ga.
               (Savannah River entrance)

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