Few lighthouses are more recognizable to Canadians than the iconic beacon at Peggy's Cove, but the building is one of dozens across the Maritimes being abandoned by the federal government.

The future of roughly 500 lighthouses is in question after the federal government announced it will no longer care for the buildings, starting two months from now.

Ottawa has deemed the nautical traffic lights as "surplus property" and while it will continue to look after the lights, the maintenance of the buildings will be turned over to the local communities, if they want them.

So far no one is petitioning for Peggy's Cove.

The lighthouse is a beacon for tourists near and far – one that draws roughly 500,000 people annually to the community of Peggy's Cove.

"Whenever we have visitors we always bring them to the lighthouse," says Dartmouth resident Chris Watts.

The loss of the icon could mean a tourism downfall for the province, and that fear is putting pressure on the provincial government to keep its light shining.

Barry MacDonald, president of the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society, says the province should step in and take ownership of the lighthouse.

"If this Lighthouse Protection Act comes and goes and we don't get Sambro, Peggy's, Louisburg dominated, along with other iconic ones, it would be a big disappointment to our society," he says.

The opposition parties are watching this issue closely.

Both the Liberals and Conservatives agree the loss of iconic lighthouses would greatly affect tourism around the province but Tourism Minister Percy Paris says he has no intention of giving up the treasured icon at Peggy's Cove.

"We will be working and we have been working with the Feds so that we can maintain the lighthouse as the icon that it is and that it is meant to be," says Percy.

Locals just hope the new owners, whoever they are, will take more pride in maintaining the structure.

"It is a focal point in the village," says restaurant manager Marcy Graves. "(It is a) very popular icon throughout Nova Scotia. It's very important for business in Peggy's Cove and the province."

Ottawa is offering the structures to governments, groups or individuals willing to take care of them. Any group that is interested in taking over the lighthouses have until the end of May to submit petitions expressing interest, followed by business plans.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Kelland Sundahl