Overview of intention to manage South Pier Lighthouse

This blog is a welcome aboard invitation and will serve as a virtual meeting place for concerned and engaged individuals in order to reach an agreement of the potential uses and care for the Muskegon South Pier Lighthouse.This agreement would have to be made rather quickly as the deadline for appropriation submittals is August 21st, 2008

The Intention as it stands now is to craft this understanding between a partnership of people that agree to utilise the Lighthouse to create another unique learning experience for an engaged and participative audience comprised mainly of a target age group in the K-12 range, although this facility will be open to the public of all ages at certain times. It has been suggested that this Lighthouse Learning Center can serve a number of interrelated objectives at the same time.

1. Maintain an active USCG operated light

2.Preserve this lighthouse as a cultural and historical heritage

3. Extension of the Maritime Museum learning experience.

4. Think Green STEM Learning Center.

5. Partnership with NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab as a meteorological station.



Jim Ross and Jim Bates are bringing to this opportunity an understanding of how this project can be directly linked with the Think Green STEM Centers (STEM stands for Science Technology, Engineering and Math).These Centers are an outgrowth of a NSF Grant that create real world and virtual portals that place an emphasis of learning how to innovatively think. Some of the Think STEM Centers will be actual brick and Mortar facilities and some are virtual. All resources attached to the STEM Centers have a common thread which allows participation at any given location through digital and online means. Our focus is about empowering Students, primarily K-12 to unlock their ability to think and create the answers that will ensure them, America and the world a secure, safe and enjoyable future.The lighthouse collaborative at this time consists of the various entities as follows;

1.The Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy- Mr Jeff Shook http://www.michiganlights.com/

2.Mr. Jim Ross president - 21st century Digital Learning Environments-

3. Mr. Bob Morin Director and lead for the Educational Committee of the Great Lakes Naval and Memorial Museum (http://www.glnmm.org/).mailto:.email-ss236ceo@aol.com

4. Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratories (NOAA Great Lakes basin research. facilities) Mr. Dennis Donahue. He would like to place meteorological equipment on the lighthouse and work with us to allow inclusion of these resources in the STEM understandings.

5. Southern Exposure Renewable Energy Co.
Mr. Jim Bates- renewablesjim@gmail.com
(248) 245-7114

6.Great Lakes Sea Cadets?

7.Great Lakes Lighthouse Preservation Society?

The City of Muskegon has offered to write a letter of support(moral not financial) to Mr. Morin in supporting the GLNMM to aquire the Lighthouse. Bob Morin understandably needs to answer to the Board of Directors of the Museum and they need to know what part they will have in running this facility and whether or not there would be any financial liability attached to the Museum as a consequence of their signing on.We are in the process of pulling together a meeting of the key individuals and representatives to ascertain the potential for accomplishing this mission in time to meet the deadline. Besides meeting the deadline it would be in line with the application process to have further understandings of how to proceed in a sustaining manner for long range plans of probably at least five years.It is extreemly important that people use this online resource to discuss their ideas and intent regarding this project so that IF we meet in person there will be a smooth transition from discussion to implementation.