Management of the Admiralty Head Lighthouse will be changing hands later this year and an employment position will be opening up.
Currently, lighthouse operations are managed by Washington State University’s Island County Extension, but the Washington State Parks service will be taking over.
WSU extension director Tim Lawrence said in the 1990s the lighthouse wasn’t even open. WSU worked with the parks service to create a docent program and get Admiralty Head open.
Funding for a lighthouse manager position is funded by the state’s Lighthouse Environmental Program through the county.
Volunteers under the program were already being logged as parks volunteers. The question arose whether the parks service wanted an outside employee managing parks volunteers.
Having a parks employee supervise parks volunteers limits the liability, said Jon Crimmins, Fort Casey park ranger. “This is the most direct way.”
In December the reins will be turned over and the county will lay off the current lighthouse manager position.
“It makes a lot of sense,” Lawrence said. “The lighthouse is owned by Parks.”
Crimmins said the parks service will advertise for a new manager position, but probably not until early 2015.
“There are a lot of steps between now and then,” Crimmins said.
The Lighthouse Environmental Program board should be voting on a “friends” agreement with the parks service to continue funding the position.
Once that agreement is in place, the parks service can move forward.
There will be a time the program will be without a manager, but Crimmins said the lighthouse is actually closed during that time.
During the interim, he will manage the program.
The open position will be posted locally as well as on the state parks website, he said.
In exchange for managing the program, WSU has been utilizing office space within the lighthouse.
Lawrence said WSU will continue to use those offices and will be offering additional programing at Fort Casey through its Beachwatchers and Waste Wise programs.
A display on the second floor of the space is currently in the works from Beachwatchers.
WSU will continue to provide space there for the lighthouse program.
“I think it’s been a good relationship,” Lawrence said. “It’s a natural evolution. WSU was able to serve an important role.
“I’m very grateful Parks values the educational programming.”
