» Douglas County takes responsibility for Umpqua River light

Navigation history buffs are breathing sighs of relief this week.

Winchester Bay’s red and white beacon is staying put.

The historic Fresnel lens that has shone from its place atop the Umpqua River Lighthouse since 1894 will continue to shine out to sea, thanks to a recent agreement between the U.S. Coast Guard and the Douglas County Board of Commissioners.

In a Dec. 29 letter to the public, Douglas County Commi-ssioner Joe Laurance, explained that, “In 1994, the 13th Coast Guard District leased the lighthouse and surrounding grounds to Douglas County for a park, while the Coast Guard retained ownership and operation of the beacon itself.”

In a letter dated April 28, 2009, however, the Coast Guard notified the commissioners that it was no longer interested in maintaining the lighthouse, which it claimed, “is no longer a critical component for safe navigation.”

The Coast Guard’s letter went on to explain that, “In situations such as this … we allow (the light) to be operated as a Private Aid to Navigation (PATON) by a local government agency, nonprofit corporation or community development organization. Our intentions are to identify an entity that is willing to assume PATON responsibility for the light by May 15, 2009. If an entity isn’t identified by that date we will do one of two things: 1) Remove the classical lens and replace it with a modern optic or, 2) Decommission the light and remove the classical lens.”

After they received the letter, Laurance wrote, the commissioners spent two weeks discussing their options with members of the Coast Guard, Oregon’s congressional delegation and various local leaders. After that, he said, “Douglas County accepted the responsibility of continuing the operation of the Umpqua Lighthouse as a PATON.

“The actual conveyance process begins in early 2010 when Douglas County is granted ownership of the light and legally accepts the obligations of continued operation of the light as an aid to navigation,” Laurance continued. “A second agreement with the Coast Guard leases the Fresnel lens to the county, assuring that the lens permanently remains both with the lighthouse and in operation.”

M.J. Koreiva, manager of the Umpqua River Lighthouse Museum, said she is glad the long process of turning the light over to the county is finally complete.

“The misconception was that the lighthouse was about to be turned off,” Koreiva said. “People were afraid the light would be decommissioned and our treasured Fresnel lens would be taken away and salvaged, ending up who knows where ... put in a museum somewhere else or sold to the highest bidder.”

Koreiva said the county has been working for about 18 months to iron out a solution for transitioning the responsibility for the light from the Coast Guard.

“I’m glad it’s happening, and very glad it’s staying here in the community,” she added.