International Dark-Sky Week April 5 – 11.

I am proud to announce that Colorado Landscape and Astrophotographer, Daniel McVey will be joining forces with International Dark-Sky to bring you International Dark Sky Week from April 5 – 11 2013

IDA Statement:

Light Pollution in General
From the International Dark-Sky Association
www.darksky.org

When was the last time you saw a truly star-filled sky? Seeing the Milky Way is no longer common, but bringing it back is much simpler than you might have thought and doing so provides much more than just a pretty view.

Excessive and poorly directed lights are a tremendous waste of energy. 2.2 billion dollars are wasted annually from USA streetlights alone. Deep shadows, caused by overly bright lights, hide pedestrians from drivers and culprits from potential victims. Hatchling sea turtles are confused and drawn into cities rather than the ocean. Birds fly into buildings and are lost in the bright, city lights. In the future children may think of fireflies as nothing more than a myth, as the loss of night takes its toll. Humans are even affected when the day-to-night flow is disrupted, increasing the danger of developing sleep disorders, cancer and many other health problems from obesity to depression. But there are simple solutions; use lower wattage bulbs, motion sensors and timers, and cover bulbs so light only goes down where it is needed. These are all easy things that can be done not just during International Dark Sky Week (April 5-11), but, all year long.

Learn more about IDSWeek and the impacts that light pollution, the artificial brightening of the night sky, has on safety, wildlife, energy waste, human health, and more at www.darksky.org.

Statement from Daniel McVey

Even here in Summit County, Colorado 70 miles West of Denver in the Central Rocky Mountains, light pollution is excessive. When I first started doing Night Photography I was constantly trying new places to take photos where the glow from a nearby town or city could not be seen and I found it to be nearly impossible. Eventually I found the darkest sky that I would come to know locally. It was a great spot with dramatic peaks and gorgeous old growth trees.

I was privileged to know this spot as it was and I took some of my all time favorite photographs from this point. Recently I went back to my spot for a meteor shower knowing I would get pristine images and to my alarm and amazement the valley was flooded with light. A large mining operation that had slowed its production was once again on the move and working around the clock.  Now I am not singling this operation out as there are thousands of reasons why our night sky has been compromised, this was just the last spot I knew with truly dark skies.

There are many easy things we can do to lessen our light pollution such as turning unused lights off, using appropriate wattage bulbs, downward pointing lights, special light fixtures, motion activated lights, and more. Taking care of our own homes is just the start, I think most of the country can say the same  that we need to get business involved if we are going to make a major difference. Maybe a solution can be developed for “stadium” lit empty parking lots, excessive lighting on closed businesses, better downward pointing lights on the freeway etc… The Sky is the limit.

More ideas of what you can do to get involved: www.darksky.org/idsw

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