[Lvas] FW: IDA e-News of 15 April, 2009

[roger ivester]

Date: Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:34:10 -0400
From: ida at darksky.org
To: drivester at hotmail.com
Subject: IDA e-News of 15 April, 2009


















International Dark-Sky Association
e-News

15 April, 2009 











Let There Be Night!




Edited by Paul Bogard, this thoughtful collection of essays considers the consequences of light pollution while capturing the night in all its mysterious shades. 

Buy Let There Be Night

Royalties from this book are generously donated to IDA. 











20 April, 2009 is the World Night in Defence of Starlight.

Turn off unnecessary lights and join the international community for an evening of sky viewing. 

Also celebrate International Dark Sky Week




IDA Sections in the News



Martha Sheils, IDA Maine Section Leader, and Robert Burgess, an IDA member in Maine, were interviewed on Maine Public Broadcast TV in an extended segment on light pollution. Watch the segment.

Need ideas for Section activities? Visit the Pennsylvania Outdoor Lighting Council Web site for ideas on events, dark sky promotion, and advocacy.









Raise Awareness on Light Pollution during International Dark Sky Week!
20 - 26 April


Read the press release.

Starting with the World Night in Defence of Starlight, the International Dark Sky Week celebrates the heritage of the nighttime sky by encouraging people to turn out unnecessary lights on their property. IDSW is held on the week of the new moon for a clearer view of the stars. Be on the lookout for stargazing events near your community! 


The event began in 2003 as National Dark-Sky Week in the U.S. and officially became international in 2007. Learn more on the Dark Skies Awareness Web site.

Student Starts International Dark Sky Week
by Rodger Nayak, The Cavalier Daily - USA, 14 April, 2009
International Dark Sky Week, a worldwide initiative begun by fourth-year College student Jennifer Barlow, will take place from April 20 to 26. The event aims to raise awareness about light pollution by encouraging people to turn off outdoor lighting and install more efficient lighting systems. This would increase the visibility of stars and celestial bodies, Barlow said...


Some IDSW Events


First Annual Dark Sky Party at Sierra la Rana in  Alpine, Texas on 24th April 

Official Name: First Annual Dark Sky Party
Date Friday, 24 April, 2009
Time: 7:30-11:00 pm

Website: http://www.alpinestarparty.com/
Event Phone: 817.975.8736
Contact: giba at jmkint.com
Please RSVP!

***
Celebrate Starry Nights in Harmony, Florida, USA
Official Name: 6th Annual Dark Sky Festival at Harmony
Date: Saturday, 25 April, 2009
Time: 6pm - 11pm
Admission: FREE


Website: www.darkskyfestival.com 
Event Phone: 407-891-8358
Event Contact Name: Greg Golgowski
Event Contact Email: info at darkskyfestival.com
Event Contact Phone: 407-891-1616

All amateur astronomers are encouraged to bring their telescopes!!!

6th Annual Dark Sky Festival at Harmony, FL on April 25 Celebrates Wonders of Night Skies and Promotes Fighting Light Pollution (Press Release)

***


'DobZilla' Returns to Tawases for IYA Event Saturday
by Jason Ogden, Iosco County News Herald - East Tawas, MI, USA, 15 April, 2009
The telescope's return is part of the 2009 International Year of Astronomy (IYA) event to be held at the Tawas Elks Lodge, 1002 Monument Rd., Tawas City. The event - which is being put on by the Iosco-Arenac District Library, SAS and Great Lakes Star Gaze - will feature guided star viewing, telescope workshops and astronomy discussions.





Dark Sky Updates 





Dark Sky Comment 

The Glare of Progress Blinds Us to Nature
by Wan Lixin, Shanghai Daily - Shanghai, China, 09 April, 2009
Considering the money being burned, the energy consumed, and how simple the remedy is - just switch off - the message emanating from this symbolic move is rather grim: How unwilling we are to reduce the unnecessary glare around us.

After reading about a vaunted 2.1-million-yuan (US$307,000) "moonlight town" project in Shaanxi (Shanghai Daily, 08 April), I regret to say that such sins of illumination are still being committed with complacency...

National Park - A Place of Beautiful Darkness
The News-Leader - Ravenna, OH, USA, 08 April, 2009
The value placed on darkness influences choices we make in managing national parks. We limit artificial lights at trailheads and along roads to those needed for security and safety. We also choose designs that contain light to a limited area. You'll notice that many lights we use are low to the ground...

Sometimes it Takes Darkness to See the Light
by John Longhurst, Winnipeg Free Press - Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, 05 April, 2009
If anything, we have too much light these days. The many lights from buildings, street lights, cars and other sources in large parts of the developed world have created a condition called skyglow, the dome of light that appears over major cities and washes out the night sky...

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
by John McPhee, The Chronicle Herald - Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, 04 April, 2009
There's a reason they call it light pollution. Unnecessary light endangers birds and other wildlife by disrupting natural nocturnal cycles...

Why Should We Care About Night Lighting?
by Carl Jordan, Online Athens - Athens, GA, USA, 04 April, 2009
The big deal is that over time, nighttime lighting has joined air and water pollution as serious threats to public safety, environmental and human health and the enjoyment of life. In addition, energy scarcity, resource conservation and sustainability have become critical issues of national importance. Fortunately, however, we have an opportunity to contribute locally by addressing some low-hanging problems, simply and cheaply...


Energy Edge

Dimmed Lights Seen as Bright Idea
BBC News - UK, 11 April, 2009
A council is trialling a new type of street light which is automatically dimmed after midnight. The lights fitted in two Flintshire roads provide a white light and are designed to minimise upward light pollution...

Sunshine State Plans World's First Solar-Powered City
by Jacqui Goddard, Scotsman - United Kingdom, 11 April 2009
Street lamps will be specially adapted to reduce light pollution. Homes will be topped off with "green" roofs that minimise energy loss...


Night Sky Protection

Residents: Thanks, but No Thanks, to Streetlights
by Erin Cox, Annapolis Capital - Annapolis, MD, USA, 13 April, 2009
Yet, neighbors in this Millersville community are saying thanks, but no thanks, to the county's offer to install six new streetlights... Neighbors who rallied against the streetlights also said they believed the lamps would create light pollution and encourage drivers to increase their speeds...

High-rise Plans Concern Clayton Park Residents
by Lindsay Jones, Halifax News Net - Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, 09 April, 2009
"Light pollution, especially in this age of conservation, disturbs me," Gorveatt said. "I'd like to think this building would be as dark as possible...

Fines Aim to Clean Light Pollution from the Night Sky (watch the video)
KOB TV - New Mexico, USA, 03 April, 2009 
Friday, Gov. Bill Richardson signed legislation giving the Night Sky Protection Act some new teeth--in the form of fines for people who violate it. The idea behind the protection act is to stop light pollution. For almost a decade, New Mexico has had a law on the books requiring most outdoor lighting to be aimed downward and have a shield to protect it from shining upward...
Read the bill.

UN Backs Bid to Preserve Lake Tekapo Night Sky
Radio New Zealand - Wellington, New Zealand, 07 April, 2009
The proposal is one of only eight bids for night heritage sites worldwide and, if successful, would see the night sky above Lake Tekapo, in the central South Island, protected from light pollution...

Enlightenment through Darkness in Pyrenees Mountains
AFP - France, 03 April, 2009
PIC DU MIDI, France (AFP) - France aims to set up Europe's first "anti light-pollution reserve" to help preserve the night sky for a historic observatory in the Pyrenees, it was announced here Friday.
The goal is to establish a zone with a radius of 10-15 kilometres (six to nine miles) around the 130-year-old Pic du Midi mountain observatory so that views of the cosmos are not spoilt by intrusive light on the ground...The goal is to eventually qualify for certification under the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), which claims a following among thousands of astronomers and educators in more than 70 countries in a campaign to curb light pollution...

New York Governor's Proclomation

Legislative Resolution memorializing  Governor  David  A.  Paterson to proclaim 2009 the Year of Astronomy in the State of New York in conjunction with the International Year of Astronomy...


A Shared Vision to Dazzle Urbanites with the Night Sky
by Jerry Smerd, New York Times, NY, USA, 08 March, 2009
The Milky Way has not been regularly seen in Manhattan since the 1940s, said Stephen Lieber, a member of the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York. But legislation passed by the State Assembly and introduced in the City Council would seek to lessen the intrusion of light into the night sky. One goal would be to install more lamp posts that direct light downward. 
"People in the city have a right to see the nighttime sky," said Assemblywoman Linda B. Rosenthal of Manhattan, who introduced the legislation in the Assembly...

Wildlife Watch

Bay County Talks Turtle Lighting
by Mark Vaughn, WJHG, FL, USA, 06 April, 2009
Too much artificial light can cause newly hatched turtles to get disoriented and head for the street and not the water, and that's what the county wants to prevent... Panama City Beach officials spent over a year working out the kinks in their ordinance with the T.D.C. and the Fish and Wildlife Commission. They believe the law they passed is acceptable for both the turtles and business owners...

Lawsuit Filed Seeking Endangered Species Act Protection for the Ashy Storm Petrel
Center for Biological Diversity (press release) - Tucson, AZ, USA, 01 April, 2009
Fossil-fuel demand is also spurring the proliferation of proposed offshore liquefied natural gas terminals off California's coast, which not only increase pollution but also add artificial lighting at night. "Artificial light attracts nocturnally active seabirds such as the ashy storm petrel like moths to a flame, and the effects can be devastating," said Wolf...


To Your Health

Does Your Shift at Work Put You at a Greater Risk for Developing Cancer?
PhysOrg.com - Evergreen, VA, USA, 03 April, 2009
This landmark research helped to lay the groundwork for a scientific working group (of which Blask was a member) appointed by the World Health Organization to add shift work and exposure to light at night to its list of possible carcinogens. Shift workers have been shown to have higher risks for breast, prostate and other cancers... Blask has advised Congressional staffers on the implications of light pollution on the environment as part of an effort to get the Environmental Protection Agency to address the problem....

Night Shifts Spark Cancer Pay-Out
by Kenneth McDonald, BBC News - UK, 15 March, 2009
The Danish government has begun paying compensation to women who have developed breast cancer after long spells working nights...






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