A Washington State non-profit serving Island County and surrounding areas
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A Washington State non-profit serving Island County and surrounding areas |
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License Plate Project
(January 3, 2006, the day the Lighthouse Specialty Plate is issued. WSU volunteers in Olympia at the capital getting their plates)
It's official! With a strong boost from State Senator Mary Margaret Haugen, Island County citizens scored a sweet victory in Olympia on Wednesday, April 13.
(Governor Gregoire Signing Legislation for Lighthouse Plate) Gov. Christine Gregoire signed legislation authorizing a new "Washington Lighthouses" vehicle license plate went on sale statewide, Jan. 1, 2006. Watching alongside Haugen were Don Meehan, Director of Washington State University Extension in Island County and Gloria Wahlin of Clinton, WSU coordinator of Admiralty Head Lighthouse at Fort Casey.
(Senator Mary Margaret Haugen, Don Meehan, and Gloria Whalin) Vehicle owners who choose to buy the specialty Lighthouse plate at all regular Dept of Licensing outlets in Washington will pay an additional $40 above the regular license plate fee, $28 of which will go to Lighthouse Environmental Programs, the Island County non-profit organization that led the drive for it. No one knows exactly what this will mean in added revenue for lighthouse restoration and environmental programs, says Don Meehan, Director of WSU Extension for Island County. "It is a huge step forward for lighthouse restoration statewide, and for Docents of the Admiralty Head Lighthouse, WSU Beach Watchers, WSU Waste Wise volunteers and the hundreds of tireless volunteers working in WSU environmental programs on Whidbey and Camano islands." The strikingly beautiful new vehicle plate is a composite image of several Washington lighthouses, based on a watercolor by Coupeville artist and WSU Beach Watcher Janet Orso. The funds support a variety of missions of WSU Extension, but primarily dealing with environmental education of citizens. A portion of the license plate proceeds - 25 percent (after expenses) - will go into a grant fund set aside for similar restoration and public education efforts at other state lighthouses that are kept open to the public.
(Estimated porportion) Working with the Island County lighthouse group to rally legislative support for the special plate were their friends at North Head, Mukilteo, Point No Point, Dungeness, Point Robertson, Turn Point and West Point (Grays Harbor) Lighthouse. Together, the groups gathered well over 3,500 signatures from supporters and submitted them to the Special License Plate Review Board. The enabling legislation passed the State Senate as SB 5424 under the sponsorship of Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, chair of the Transportation Committee, together with Sen's. Swecker, Jacobsen, Hargrove and Doumit. It was sponsored in the House by Rep's. Bailey, Kessler, Woods, Nixon, Blake and Takko. Admiralty Head Lighthouse is open to the public through a cooperative agreement between Fort Casey State Park and Washington State University Extension-Island County. The non profit Lighthouse Environmental Programs (LEP) 501-c-3 supports all of the WSU program efforts at Admiralty Head Lighthouse and is an independent 501-c-3 Tax Exempt corporation in the State of Washington. WSU Programs based from the Admiralty Head Lighthouse are funded on soft funds. The license project will strengthen them so they may continue to benefit the public and this place. |
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