The Keweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance Light stands in Keweenaw Bay, June 2, 2022, in Chassell, Mich. The federal government’s annual effort to give away or sell lighthouses that are no longer needed for navigation purposes includes 10 lighthouses this year. (Luke Barrett/General Services Administration via AP)

BOSTON (AP) — Ten lighthouses that for generations have stood like sentinels along America’s shorelines protecting mariners from peril and guiding them to safety are being given away at no cost or sold at auction by the federal government. The aim of the program run by the General Services Administration is to preserve the properties, most of which are more than a century old. The development of modern technology, including GPS, means lighthouses are no longer essential for navigation and not critical to the Coast Guard’s mission. Since the passage of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act in 2000, the GSA the ownership of about 150 lighthouses have been transferred. One light up for grabs is the Erie North Land Light, located on Presque Isle.