Renewed License Agreement for Cana Island

The Cana Island Lighthouse in all its glory. 2019 file photo by Dan Anderson.

The Door County Maritime Museum & Lighthouse Preservation Society has long been responsible for the development, maintenance, operation and rehabilitation of Cana Island.

But the museum doesn’t own the property – the County of Door does. A licensing agreement covers the arrangement between the two, and the Door County Board of Supervisors approved a new one in May that will last until Dec. 1, 2027. 

The museum pays the county an annual fee of $20,000, according to the licensing agreement, plus 25% of the net profits that come from the island, lighthouse and tower access fees. The county keeps that money in its Cana Island Reserve Fund, which had a balance of $140,540 at the end of 2021.

A new component of the latest contract will require an annual discussion and review between the county and museum of the Cana Island revenue and expenses, as well as any pre-budgeted expenses for stewardship or advocacy marketing, or exhibit or curatorial development.