Light pollution is the nemesis of all visible light astronomers, preventing us from seeing the night sky that our ancestors enjoyed. But there are other negative effects; humans need darkness balanced with daylight, and more than 50% of wildlife species depend on darkness to survive. Our presenters for the August 20th virtual meeting of LAS, Deborah Price and Rebecca Dickson, will address the critical importance of dark skies.

Deborah is a Natural History Program Specialist with Boulder County Parks & Open Space; Rebecca, is chair of the Sierra Club-Indian Peaks. In their presentation they will share why dark skies matter, what Boulder County is doing to monitor dark skies in open space and in urban areas, and what we can all do to help preserve darkness now and in the future.

Deborah has coordinated a dark sky monitoring project for Boulder County Parks & Open Space for the past five years. The project is carried out in conjunction with other open space agencies along the Front Range. She is passionate about preserving dark skies, and likes the reminder it provides us that we are part of something much larger.  Deborah also coordinates astronomy programs for Boulder County, and has been a great partner with LAS for star parties.

Rebecca Dickson is the chair of the Sierra Club-Indian Peaks Group in Boulder County.  She works to understand light pollution’s damaging effects on animals, insects, and humans and helps share that information with others. She has put on joint presentations with CU Boulder’s Fiske Planetarium and the International Dark-Sky Association on the dangers of light pollution and the wonders of a starry night sky.