Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve

Elk Island National Park / Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area Declared: 3 September km 2 = 29,300 hectares = 72,000 acres

BHDSP Declaration Ceremony

Activities

Lewis Lavoie creates “Dark Skies”

Look to the stars Tracing a finger along a map of Canada unveils the rustic location of so many of the country’s national parks, protecting isolated pockets of pristine nature that contrast so greatly with Canada’s growing urbanization. But perhaps nowhere else is that contrast more evident than in Elk Island National Park, which sits only 45 kilometres away from Edmonton, Alberta. City dwellers can escape the hustle and bustle of Alberta’s capital and gaze up at stars that do not show themselves amongst the bright lights of the city. That contrast will become a permanent fixture in September when more than 300 kilometres of land in Elk Island National Park and the nearby Blackfoot Reserve will become the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve to mark the 100 th anniversary of the park. Star-gazers often flock to the area with their telescopes to take advantage of the lack of artificial light so close to the city. In 2005, a public astronomy program was launched to teach visitors to the park about the stars and also about light pollution, an issue that is getting more attention as Canada’s sprawling cities make it increasingly more difficult to escape the bright lights of the city for a darkened getaway. Publicity

Sensible Lighting Beneficial effects on: –Safety –Security –Wildlife –Greenhouse gas emissions –Economic savings –Quality of life

Natural day-night rhythms for wildlife

“One to ten million migratory birds collide with windows in Toronto each year.” “Birds migrating at night are strongly attracted to…bright sources of artificial light……Once inside a beam of lights, birds are reluctant to fly out of the lighted area into the dark, and often continue to flap around …until they drop to the ground with exhaustion.” Source……

International Dark-Sky Association The Light Pollution Authority Light pollution defined –Any adverse effect of artificial light including sky glow, glare, light trespass, light clutter, decreased visibility at night, and energy waste. Mission statement The mission of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) is to preserve and protect the nighttime environment and our heritage of dark skies through quality outdoor lighting. Goals Stop the adverse effects of light pollution on dark skies, including –Energy waste and the air and water pollution caused by energy waste –Harm to human health –Harm to nocturnal wildlife and ecosystems –Reduced safety and security –Reduced visibility at night –Poor nighttime ambience Raise awareness about light pollution, its adverse effects, and its solutions Educate everyone, everywhere, about the values of quality outdoor lighting Help stop other threats to our view of the universe, such as radio frequency interference (RFI) and space debris

Royal Astronomical Society of Canada received Royal Charter in 1903 over 4,500 members 28 local Centres in all ten provinces primary mission statement: “to promote astronomy and the allied sciences” RASC Edmonton Centre established members long associations with: – University of Alberta – Queen Elizabeth Planetarium – Edmonton Space & Science Foundation – Telus World of Science – Edmonton