thelensflare / CC

Several historic lighthouses in the U.S. and Puerto Rico have been "excessed" by the National Parks Department and are now up for grabs, at no cost, to nonprofits and other eligible entities.

Of course, when we heard this, a light bulb lit up over our heads—a coastal lighthouse would be the perfect place for to set up the national headquarters for our Fish Empathy Project.

In hopes of luring Dan Wenk, acting director of the National Park Service, with our bid, we've written him a letter outlining some of the details of our proposed exhibit.

PETA's center would feature educational displays proving that fish are intelligent animals who learn tasks, use tools, show affection, and feel pain when they are dragged from the sea in nets or impaled on hooks.

The lighthouse would also be home to the world's first Fish Empathy Quilt, a 300-square-foot quilt that pays tribute to the billions of fish who are abused and killed every year—as well as a café serving delicious faux-fish sticks and other tasty fish-friendly foods.

We'll let you know if he bites!

Written by Karin Bennett

Freshpage/Creative Commons

There are a few old lighthouses on the East Coast being offered up free of charge to a nonprofit or other qualified entity under the Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000. So—of course—we’re applying for them. What international animal protection organization doesn’t need a lighthouse or two, right?

The first of the lighthouses we applied for is called the Penfield Reef Lighthouse—it's about a mile off the Connecticut coast, near the small town of Farifield. Here’s a story about it.

In all seriousness, we're applying for the lighthouses to serve as the international headquarters of our Fish Empathy Project, where we would install interactive displays promoting the protection of fish. Plus, it would be the perfect place to house the world’s first Fish Empathy Quilt.

After we submitted our application for the Penfield Reef Lighthouse, we found out that an official with the City of Fairfield—backed by the local Historical Society—is trying to obtain the lighthouse. So we wrote to him offering to bow out of the competition (which, incidentally, is just between us and him right now) if he can ensure that no cruelty to fish (such as angling or fish sticks) takes place on lighthouse grounds. Here’s the letter we sent. I’ll be sure to let you know if we get a response, but I wouldn’t start making vacation plans to visit the PETA Lighthouse just yet . . .