Lighthouses are wonderful icons on our shores; it’s a shame to see them go to disrepair. Five lighthouses in the San Francisco area are being taken over by the National Park Service as the Coast Guard no longer has a need for their reassuring beacons. Four are in the Golden Gate Bridge vicinity (including the one on Alcatraz) and one is near Half Moon Bay. The Park Service is assessing the restoration and maintenance needs and hopes to eventually open most of them to the public.