Call for Lighthouse Keepers! The volunteer Lighthouse Keeper Application and Volunteer Lighthouse Expectations are now available! Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association (SPLKA) is a non-profit organization seeking to preserve and promote Big Sable Point, Little Sable Point, Ludington North Breakwater Lighthouses, and White River Light Station. Clean and comfortable accommodations are offered free of charge within houses in Ludington State Park and Silver Lake State Park grounds, where you can enjoy the sand dunes and evergreen forests on your way to work at Lake Michigan among friends. One week and two week tours are available, May-October. To see which dates are still available, email to splkaoperations@gmail.comor call 231-845-7417. Help us keep the lights open while living the dream inside a lighthouse! How long are the Keeper Tour Sessions? White River Light Station have weekend commitments due to no lodging being provided. Little Sable Point and Ludington North Breakwater Lights don’t require as much gift shop training, so they only mandate one week commitments. Big Sable Point is a two-week commitment due to the remote location (1.8 miles into the park, at the base of Lake Michigan) and a larger gift shop training. What are the Keeper’s Duties? Our volunteers must be 21 years of age or older. There are no pets allowed. Duties include cleaning, tower tours, historical interpretation, welcoming guests, taking admissions and some gift shop training dependent on the site where you’re placed. If you live locally and can’t commit to one or two weeks- you can still be involved. There are day keepers living locally and keeping the lights alive! What if I can’t commit an entire week or two, but I still want to be involved? If you want to be involved with SPLKA, but don’t have as much consecutive time as you’d need to be a Resident Volunteer Keeper, there are still options available. Read below to learn about the day-long commitments of being a Lighthouse Seeker, or Daykeeper! Little Sable Point Lighthouse Seekers- Daykeepers Program *Ludington Breakwater Light “Breakers” coming soon! Let us know if you’d enjoy daykeeping at this unique light, also!* The “Lighthouse Seekers” group was formed in 1999 with about 40 members and a goal to someday see Little Sable Point open to the public. That goal was reached and in 2006, after joining with SPLKA, Little Sable Point (LSP) was open for visitors. The Seekers continue to meet as a local Lighthouse group. Many members volunteer at LSP on Mondays and Tuesdays from May through Sept as part of the SPLKA volunteer program. Activities, besides volunteering at the Lighthouse, include: beach clean-up at LSP the second Monday of each month from April to Sept. at 9:00 a.m., an annual lighthouse trip in June, a potluck in July, a Sept. potluck and meeting at LSP, an Oct. potluck and meeting at BSP, a Dec. lunch and planning meeting. Membership has grown and now over 100 newsletters are sent out each year. Membership to The Lighthouse Seekers is only $10 a year for the entire family and includes two newsletters and two activity reminder cards sent throughout the year. The money collected for dues goes back to the Lighthouse for further restoration projects. If you would like to join or have any questions, please contact Yvonne Kessler at 873- 4565, ykessler@yahoo.com. The exceptional “Little Sable Lighthouse Seekers” program at Little Sable Point is run by local members and day keepers, and their support allows us the opportunity to have this light open seven days a week in the peak season without burning out our volunteers. This offers increased exposure of the light to visitors, additional funds for operation through the tower tour admissions and the opportunity to more fully succeed in our mission goals. We appreciate the support that these volunteers and resident keepers offer our organization. We hope to create similar daykeeping programs at the Ludington North Breakwater Light, as well. Please email splkaoperations@gmail.com with questions or to help out! Cindy Beth Davis-Dykema Executive Director Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association www.splka.org | 
