ECOLOGY OF THE NIGHT - NEWS

Blinded by the light
Andrew Wagner-Chazalon, Editor
The Muskokan

Glorious Skies. Think of Muskoka skies and you usually think of colour and light - pure blues of daytime, or reds and golds of sunsets like this one on the Indian River. A conference this week (September 25, 2003) is paying attention to the night sky, not only in Muskoka but around the world, as researchers discuss the need to preserve the night sky and the benefits that come from darkness. Photo by Amy Fraser

I used to live in a farmhouse on a quiet road, five kilometers from the nearest village. We heated with wood, and one of my favourite chores in the winter was bringing another toboggan-load or two into the basement. After supper I would pull on my coveralls and heavy boots, drag the wood to the open basement window and pitch it into the furnace room below.

After an hour of hauling wood my eyes were accustomed to the darkness and I was warm enough that I could just sit in the snow and watch the stars for a while. Even though I've lived most of my life in rural areas, I still can't get over the sight of a moonless sky on a clear night, when there are just too many stars to be believed.

I live in town now, and the few hundred stars I can see from my backyard are only a pale reminder of what is really there. So from time to time I take a drive on a clear night and find a dark spot to sit and look at the stars.

Watching the night sky is supposed to inspire thoughts of eternity, to remind us of our own insignificance as we gaze out into space. It may be a failure of imagination on my part, but I just can't get past the sheer aesthetic delight of seeing all those beautiful lights. I just sit there, awestruck.

There was a conference this week to discuss ways of preserving that sight. Theologians, biologists, lighting engineers and others gathered to talk about what can be done to prevent light pollution, and to learn more about why we and other creatures need to see the stars and to experience darkness.

There are genuine health consequences for people who spend their nights under artificial light, because our bodies need to do some of their work under cover of darkness. The proliferation of bright lights is also causing measurable effects on other creatures.

The facts are disturbing, but the findings are welcome because they can be used to influence public policy. If we can stand up before political bodies and say that too much light is costing X number of health care dollars, or threatening to drive these species to extinction, we may have a chance of bringing in effective controls on lighting.

But those of us who spend time under dark skies know that we're also fighting for something that can't be quantified. A truly dark sky is an awesome thing. Whether it inspires cogent thoughts about eternity, or simple breathless wonder, it is a sight to be embraced and confronted and enjoyed. It is a sight to be preserved.

Symposium seeks to keep the dark
By Cathy Cahill-Kuntz

International experts from as far away as the Czech Republic met at the Leslie M. Frost Natural Resources Centre in Dorset this week to discuss the importance of preserving our night skies.

Astronomers, ecologists, politicians, academics, indigenous peoples, theologians, bureaucrats and lighting manufacturers spent three days focusing on biological, cultural, historical and spiritual issues as they relate to night skies and light pollution.

"We're holding the symposium to get people from different disciplines and backgrounds coming together to talk about dark skies," said Peter Goering, Muskoka Heritage Foundation director, dark-sky advocate and principal organizer of the symposium.

"We wanted to see what sparks come from this meeting," Goering said. "I think it's working. People are talking out of their main disciplines."

The stars have been a source of awe and wonder, and were historically used for navigation, but the significance of the night sky goes far beyond that: scientists have recently discovered that wildlife, plants and humans need darkness as well as light in order to thrive.

Astronomer, author, and Order of Canada recipient Terence Dickinson impressed his audience with spectacular photographs of constellations, the Aurora Borealis and the Milky Way. He described how the recent blackout got people thinking about the value of darkness.

"People were stimulated by seeing the Milky Way in downtown Toronto," said Dickinson. 'They were astonished that it really is there.'

Participants shared information about dark sky issues, pinpointed concerns, identified gaps in knowledge and reviewed existing regulations. Organizers hope to
raise the level of public the benefits of maintaining darkness at night.

Monte Hummel president of the World Wildlife Fund of Canada and member of the Order of Canada, offered symposium participants a little advice: "Don't study this problem to death. This is a call to action."

'Will the dark sky be any better off as a result of this, or will we just identify the problem?" said Hummel. "It needs to be actively confronted."

He urged each presenter to pinpoint what needs to be done to address the problem, see who needs to take the necessary steps and identify what they, personally, are going to do.

Hummel described how, in September 1999, he gathered with a group of people at the Torrance Barrens Conservation Reserve to announce the first Dark Sky Reserve in Canada.

The light-pollution-protected reserve is attractive because it is accessible to the large urban population that lives within a two-to-three hour drive to the south of Muskoka.

"That seminal event garnered some local press but largely went unnoticed," Hummel said. "We were pioneers taking a landmark - no, skymark - initial step. We established a Dark Sky Reserve where there should be more. I promise you, there will be more."