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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Dark Sky resolution passes Porter County Indiana council

05 October 2010

Our good friend Audrey Fischer and fellow astronomer from the Chicago Astronomical Society, who has been fighting for the return of Dark Skies in the region, has won a important and substantial victory in Porter County Indiana, addressing the wasteful and instrusive light pollution situation and helping to bring back darker skies to astronomers and citizens alike.

From The Chesterton tribune:

Astronomers persuade commissioners to pass light pollution prevention resolution

Porter County will be seeing stars, and in a good way.
County commissioner president Robert Harper, D-Center, and fellow commissioner John Evans, R-North, were the first in the state to approve a resolution that endorses the reduction of light pollution, a term for excessive outdoor lighting.
Less light pollution means the nighttime skies will be more visible to those below the ether.

“We think it’s important,” said Harper, who mentioned that the resolution has also met approval from the county plan commission.

Harper is also president of the nine-member plan commission board. He said the resolution relates to the “green space” ordinance to preserve the natural qualities of the county. He said the resolution will aid the plan commission and that no new rules have been established yet.

County attorney Gwenn Rinkenberger gave her approval Tuesday saying she found nothing harmful in the resolution.
“This is so cool,” responded Chicago astronomer Audrey Fischer who brought the resolution to the commissioners’ desks.
“Porter County has the potential to become a leader in the area of artificial outdoor illumination practices by promoting a diversified team effort implementing sound environmental policies which will benefit residents of Porter County, students of the universities, guests who visit the Indiana Dunes National Shoreline and serve as a positive example for the nation to follow,” Fischer wrote in the resolution.

She said she chose to present her resolution to Porter County because of the Dunes Lakeshore and said that if communities work together to reduce light pollution, the Milky Way can come into view in the dunes’ night sky.

“Light pollution is a global problem,” she said as indicated in a report done last year by the American Medical Association. “Porter County has a good handle on (pollution), but they just need to preserve what can be seen in the sky.”

One of the ways to diminish light pollution, Fischer said, is to install lights on city streets that direct their beams straight down instead of allowing the light to scatter through the atmosphere up to 100 miles or more. Fischer, who does her astronomy work as a volunteer, is a member of several prominent astronomy associations such as the Chicago Astronomers Society and the International Dark-Sky Association where she is a board member. She also helped found the One Star at a Time program and StarPals that educate children on a global level on the importance of astronomy.

StarPals’ first event connected Chicago school children with another school in Jerusalem through Skype Video conferencing as they both watched the Orion Nebula. The program, she said, is “global” and let’s children around the world realize the sky is something they all share. “We can explore together.”
The ultimate goal of Fisher’s programs aside from reducing light pollution would be to introduce “StarParks” or astronomy clubs into every community on a worldwide scale where children and community members can bring with them a telescope or check one out to stargaze.

Two major viewing sites currently in the region are the Valparaiso University Observatory and Purdue University Calumet’s NIRo telescope in Lake County. Both schools had faculty members who wrote recommendations for the resolution to the county commissioners.

Fisher said the National Parks Service indicated in a study last year that by the year 2025, it is expected that less than ten percent of people will ever experience a starry night unless measures are taken. She said the upcoming generation will believe having a sky absent of starlight is normal.
Fischer’s efforts caught the attention of a few locals with an interest in preserving the view of celestial views, primarily the Milky Way.

"Stars are beautiful,” said Chesterton resident Mark Montgomery, who came to support the resolution after reading about it in newspapers. Michigan City resident Larry Silvestri said he has only been able to see the Milky Way “faintly” from the dunes and felt losing the night time sky would be taking away “a source of inspiration.”

Supporters of the resolution found Fischer herself a source of inspiration. Fischer has received praise from Chicago Mayor Richard Daily and was instrumental in having a first-ever stargazing event for children at The White House in Washington D.C.
“She’s a pied-piper,” said Illinois Institute of Technology Assistant Physics Professor Jeff Terry. “I’ll help wherever she goes.”
The group treated the commissioners afterwards to a view the planet Jupiter and its moons from a high-powered telescope set up outside the entrance of the county administration building.
“I think it is a great way to get back to nature. You can look up and see what’s going on.” Evans said shortly after getting an up-close look of Jupiter.

Fischer did not expect the commissioners to approve the resolution unanimously and said she was “very pleased” with the vote. “What they did was fantastic,” she told the Chesterton Tribune. Certain group members of Tuesday night’s astronomers are making the effort to get more local governments throughout the state to pass the resolution, the most immediate of which being the city of Terre Houte.

www.chestertontribune.com/PorterCounty/106108%20astronomers_persuade_commissione.htm

Excellent Job Audrey!... #Thumbsup#

And kudos to Chicago Astronomers Paulie & Hillary for their attendance and support of the resolution at the council meeting.

Next... Chicago.

[patrickm]

[Paulie pchris00]

Wow, I was just about to search for a link to the story in yesterday' paper, and here it is! I'm almost finished with my account of Tuesday night's events, but I won't finish writing until returning from the Adler tonight.

It is one step of a long process. Now we need to take many more steps, so that dark skies aren't hard to find.

The Chesterton Tribune story is on the IDA homepage, as well.

www.darksky.org/mc/page.do;jsessionid=334CA17C8BEC4239473E5FAB82ED00E3.mc1?sitePageId=119791

[Paulie pchris00]

The Post-Tribune also ran a story about this today, and this time Hillary and I are mentioned by name as sidewalk astronomers, and I was indirectly quoted.

First the link:

www.post-trib.com/news/2803816,pclight.article


And since P-T only archives their stories for 30 days, here is the story copied and pasted:


Turn Down Lights, Star Fans Say


October 15, 2010

BY JAMES D. WOLF JR., POST-TRIBUNE CORRESPONDENT



The Porter County commissioners are the latest Northwest Indiana officials who want future generations to be able to see the stars.


The commissioners took a small step toward that goal last week when they passed a resolution endorsing the reduction of light pollution.


Dyer has had a "dark sky" ordinance since 2005.


A loose-knit group of local astronomy enthusiasts and Chicago astronomy activist Audrey Fischer submitted the idea to Porter County officials, although it wasn't new.


"We've been working in our ordinances already to pay attention to light pollution," Commissioner Bob Harper said. Development affects the rural atmosphere, "from these huge signs from Walmart and places like that to billboards that have light."


As liaison to the Plan Commission, Harper saw concern about how lights from development next to the new hospital would impact residential neighbors.


"I think we should endorse it," said Commissioner John Evans, noting the resolution worked with the existing ordinance.


The resolution cited a National Park Service study that claims fewer than 10 percent of people in the contiguous United States will see a starry sky by 2525.


Fischer said she wanted Porter County to do something because of its proximity to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and Indiana Dunes State Park.


"If people can work tighter in starlight preservation, we can at least bring the Milky Way over the national parks," she said.


Fischer -- a member of the Chicago Astronomical Society, board member of International Dark Skies Association and co-founder of One Star at a Time -- was accompanied by some Northwest Indiana astronomy enthusiasts.


Paul Christman of Valparaiso and Hillary Woloshansky of Ogden Dunes often do "sidewalk astronomy" in downtown Valparaiso.


The street lights limit more and more what they can show the public, Christman said.


Fischer said downtown decorative lights hinder viewing because the undirected light goes into the sky, where it can go on for 100 miles.


Jeff Terry of Munster, a physics professor at Illinois Institute of Technology, said stars are an educational resource.


"There are still very few ways to get kids interested in science, and astronomy is one of them," Terry said.


Dyer has five years of experience with its light pollution ordinance.


"I'm glad we adopted this ordinance," Zoning Administrator Rick Eberly said. "I like trying to recapture our night skies so that you can see stars."


However, the ordinance has been restructured, and he thinks it should be restructured again because it's still too restrictive.


The limits on street and parking lot lighting make the environment so dim that people don't feel safe, Eberly said.


The idea is not "spillage" of light past the property, but "cast the light downward and inward," Eberly said. "It's hard to find a balance."


The resolution Fischer presented included a letter of endorsement from physics and astronomy professors Adam Rengstorf and Shawn Slavin of Purdue University Calumet and Todd Hillwig and Bruce Hrivnak of Valparaiso University.


Both universities have observatories increasingly affected by light pollution.


Slavin compared trying to make scientific observations to viewing a painting under floodlights.


"The ability to appreciate the sky should be preserved in the same way the beauty of the dunes should be preserved," said Slavin, who lives in Valparaiso.


Fischer and others hope to add more sky viewing opportunities in Porter County in the form of a star park. The group's goal is to have a place for people to see stars in every community.


Reader Comments:


pchris00 (me!) wrote:


Last week the Porter County Commissioners passed a resolution to reduce light pollution in the county. As a Porter County resident and amateur astronomer, it is a nice gesture. Some astronomers may feel that it is not enough, but I see it as a first step in the right direction, with much work left to accomplish.


Light pollution is caused by inefficient lighting. Any stray, misdirected light that escapes into the sky is wasted energy, and does nothing to protect personal safety or property. It also washes out the natural beauty of our night sky. Amateur astronomers are leading the fight against light pollution, but it is important for all citizens to reduce energy costs, and adopt responsible lighting practices.


The starry night sky should be available for everybody to enjoy, not just in far rural areas. The most amazing story ever told unfolds every clear night, but we need a sky free of stray light to be able to see it.

10/15/2010 9:33 AM CDT on post-trib.com