Announcements and Special Links

Skykeepers
skykeepers.org founded September 1, 1999

Skykeepers is undergoing a very slow re-boot
All pages are very outdated.
Many links may be bad and out dated please stand by.

11 July 2017

For the latest Dark Sky News and Activities please visit
International Dark-Sky Association Web Site

OLD NEWS FOLLOWS
Old News of historic significance that is.

Section News (Northern Calif.)

Seeking San Francisco IDA members for Dark Sky action

I have been asked if I can find a IDA representative to participate in a stakeholder committee associated with the San Francisco Commission on the Environment.
The committee apparently is promoted/requested by Lights Out San Francisco and American Bird Conservancy.

As I am told "The goal of the program is to reduce unnecessary night lighting in the city of San Francisco to reduce the threat of nighttime collisions with buildings for migratory birds, conserve resources, save money, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and ultimately increase visibility of the night sky."

This is VERY early in the process of forming the stakeholder committee.

If you are interested please contact me.

If you would like to get more involved in Norther California activities please join the Cal-IDA yahoo group go to:
   http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cal-IDA/join
   (Yahoo! ID required)

Jack Sales, IDA California Section
jesales@surewest.net
www.skykeepers.org

Related Notes --

Cal-IDA Yahoo Group has been updated and opened to members posting in the hope that it will increase communication and Dark Sky activities in California. To join the group the Cal-IDA yahoo group go to:    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cal-IDA/join    (Yahoo! ID required)

Related Groups
A new group has formed in SF Bay Area, Citizens for Smart Lighting If you would like to join us, just go to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smartlighting-sf/ and click 'Join'
Note this is not a IDA group but all are welcome at skykeepers.org

Please visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smartlighting-sf/

KERN County News --

See http://krvr.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=125&Itemid=1 for all the latest Dark Sky Activities

For some reason NASA thinks this is so wonderfull. They know not what they do.

Nighttime Lights from the International Space Station (Video)

Link to the Video Page

It's All About the Lighting

City Lights Are Obscuring Our Starry NightsWall Street Journal 25 July 2008

Bipartisan letter from the U.S. House of Representatives supports Dark Skies

August 4, 2008: Eleven members of the

U.S. House of Representatives request action on light pollution from the EPA. Read the Press Release (.pdf) here >>

Read the Letter (.pdf) here >>

Help IDA raise awareness in the US Congress about the problems and solutions of light pollution by inviting your Representative's Legislative Assistants on Energy, Environment, Science and Health to a briefing on light pollution.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Noon until 1:00 p.m. (Lunch Provided)
Rayburn House Office Building 2325

RSVP by June 18, 2008
kim@darksky.org

520-293-3198

Each year, millions of Americans glance into the sky in the hopes to wish upon a star, or gaze at the wonders of the universe, only to discover their view has been replaced by a yellow haze. And while the loss of starlight may seem inconsequential, or just a sad reality of our continuing development, did you know there are other critical issues linked to light pollution?

· Light pollution has consequences for human health.

According to the journal Chronobiology International, the breast cancer incidence is approximately 73% higher in communities with higher levels of artificial illumination at night.

Discussion by: Dr. David Blask, Senior Research Scientist and Head of the Laboratory of Chrono-Neuroendocrine Oncology at Bassett Healthcare Institute (NY)

· Light pollution wastes energy.

IDA estimates over $10 billion is wasted annually on unnecessary lighting.
Discussion by: Lee Cooper, Manager of Emerging Technologies at Pacific Gas & Electric (CA)

· Light pollution harms the environment.

Light pollution affects all species from zooplankton to birds to sea turtles. Hatchling sea turtles, including Loggerhead and Leatherback turtles, find their way to the sea by differentiating between dark, elevated areas, and the bright, flat sea surface; misdirected light confuses this process.

Discussion by: Travis Longcore, Ph.D., Science Director of The Urban Wildlands Group (CA) and co-editor of "Ecological Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting."

There are alternatives!!!

Please join the International Dark-Sky Association, a 501 c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to preserve and protect the nighttime environment and our heritage of dark skies, along with fellow endorsing organizations as we discuss these consequences associated with improper night lighting.

IDA will present a strategy for reducing these adverse effects of light pollution at minimal costs, or even cost savings, by using more sensible outdoor lighting.

xxxxx

World --

Websters note --- it's "Lamp" not "Bulb" CFL, the "L" = Lamp

National --

THE DARK SIDE, BY DAVID OWEN THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE AUGUST 20, 2007 p. 28
OUR FAR-FLUNG CORRESPONDENTS about light pollution and its effect on astronomy and the environment. Writer describes Galileo Galilei’s 1610 astronomical observations. Today, by contrast, most Americans are unable to see the Milky Way in the sky above the place where they live. The stars have not, of course, become dimmer; rather, the earth has become vastly brighter, so that celestial objects are harder to detect. Air pollution has made the atmosphere less transparent and more reflective, and high levels of terrestrial illumination have washed out the stars overhead—a phenomenon called “sky glow.”

READ THE FULL STORY ON LINE!
In my opinion this is the best "light pollution" story ever published by a popular magazine. The Webmaster

More on the web -
- Another link to great comments about the NEW YORKER article, Making War On Light Pollution

Regional --

Sacramento County ---

Notes from Deer Creek Hills Bat and Astronomy Night
Sacramento Valley Conservancy
www.sacramentovalleyconservancy.org

Ecological Light Pollution Links

Lights out on Britain's bats, As more buildings are lit up at night, bats are in trouble - because they need darkness to feed.
Vision in Echolocating Bats, The aim of this thesis is to investigate the use of vision by echolocating bats.
IMPACT OF LIGHTING ON BATS (.pdf)
"Ecological Light Pollution" in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (.pdf 300k)
Environmental Effects of Light Pollution, darksky.org
Photobiology and Pathology, darksky.org

Sky Quality Meter Readings in Northern California (Dear Creek data added)

The Sacramento County General Plan is being updated. Support Dark Skies with your comments.

The Sacramento County General Plan Draft now addresses Light Pollution and Outdoor Lighting!

See Skykeepers of Sacramento County for more details.

Seeing stars is simple as turning down the lights Sacramento Bee - Aug 27, 2007

Web Site -
A new page has been created Light at Night (LAN) and Health, 17 JUN 2008

11 JUL 2017

Navigation Links

Section -

Lighting -

Links -

skykeepers.org/anouncements.html

Announcements and Special Links Skykeepers skykeepers.org founded September 1, 1999
Skykeepers is undergoing a very slow re-boot All pages are very outdated. Many links may be bad and out dated please stand by. 11 July 2017 For the latest Dark Sky News and Activities please visit International Dark-Sky Association Web Site OLD NEWS FOLLOWS Old News of historic significance that is. Section News (Northern Calif.) Seeking San Francisco IDA members for Dark Sky action I have been asked if I can find a IDA representative to participate in a stakeholder committee associated with the San Francisco Commission on the Environment. The committee apparently is promoted/requested by Lights Out San Francisco and American Bird Conservancy. As I am told "The goal of the program is to reduce unnecessary night lighting in the city of San Francisco to reduce the threat of nighttime collisions with buildings for migratory birds, conserve resources, save money, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and ultimately increase visibility of the night sky." This is VERY early in the process of forming the stakeholder committee. If you are interested please contact me. If you would like to get more involved in Norther California activities please join the Cal-IDA yahoo group go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cal-IDA/join (Yahoo! ID required) Jack Sales, IDA California Section jesales@surewest.net www.skykeepers.org Related Notes -- Cal-IDA Yahoo Group has been updated and opened to members posting in the hope that it will increase communication and Dark Sky activities in California. To join the group the Cal-IDA yahoo group go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cal-IDA/join (Yahoo! ID required) Related Groups A new group has formed in SF Bay Area, Citizens for Smart Lighting If you would like to join us, just go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smartlighting-sf/ and click 'Join' Note this is not a IDA group but all are welcome at skykeepers.org Please visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smartlighting-sf/ KERN County News -- See http://krvr.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=125&Itemid=1 for all the latest Dark Sky Activities For some reason NASA thinks this is so wonderfull. They know not what they do. Nighttime Lights from the International Space Station (Video) Link to the Video Page It's All About the Lighting City Lights Are Obscuring Our Starry NightsWall Street Journal 25 July 2008 Bipartisan letter from the U.S. House of Representatives supports Dark Skies August 4, 2008: Eleven members of the U.S. House of Representatives request action on light pollution from the EPA. Read the Press Release (.pdf) here >> Read the Letter (.pdf) here >> Help IDA raise awareness in the US Congress about the problems and solutions of light pollution by inviting your Representative's Legislative Assistants on Energy, Environment, Science and Health to a briefing on light pollution. Friday, June 20, 2008 Noon until 1:00 p.m. (Lunch Provided) Rayburn House Office Building 2325 RSVP by June 18, 2008 kim@darksky.org 520-293-3198 Each year, millions of Americans glance into the sky in the hopes to wish upon a star, or gaze at the wonders of the universe, only to discover their view has been replaced by a yellow haze. And while the loss of starlight may seem inconsequential, or just a sad reality of our continuing development, did you know there are other critical issues linked to light pollution? · Light pollution has consequences for human health. According to the journal Chronobiology International, the breast cancer incidence is approximately 73% higher in communities with higher levels of artificial illumination at night. Discussion by: Dr. David Blask, Senior Research Scientist and Head of the Laboratory of Chrono-Neuroendocrine Oncology at Bassett Healthcare Institute (NY) · Light pollution wastes energy. IDA estimates over $10 billion is wasted annually on unnecessary lighting. Discussion by: Lee Cooper, Manager of Emerging Technologies at Pacific Gas & Electric (CA) · Light pollution harms the environment. Light pollution affects all species from zooplankton to birds to sea turtles. Hatchling sea turtles, including Loggerhead and Leatherback turtles, find their way to the sea by differentiating between dark, elevated areas, and the bright, flat sea surface; misdirected light confuses this process. Discussion by: Travis Longcore, Ph.D., Science Director of The Urban Wildlands Group (CA) and co-editor of "Ecological Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting." There are alternatives!!! Please join the International Dark-Sky Association, a 501 c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to preserve and protect the nighttime environment and our heritage of dark skies, along with fellow endorsing organizations as we discuss these consequences associated with improper night lighting. IDA will present a strategy for reducing these adverse effects of light pollution at minimal costs, or even cost savings, by using more sensible outdoor lighting. xxxxx World -- Websters note --- it's "Lamp" not "Bulb" CFL, the "L" = Lamp National -- THE DARK SIDE, BY DAVID OWEN THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE AUGUST 20, 2007 p. 28 OUR FAR-FLUNG CORRESPONDENTS about light pollution and its effect on astronomy and the environment. Writer describes Galileo Galilei’s 1610 astronomical observations. Today, by contrast, most Americans are unable to see the Milky Way in the sky above the place where they live. The stars have not, of course, become dimmer; rather, the earth has become vastly brighter, so that celestial objects are harder to detect. Air pollution has made the atmosphere less transparent and more reflective, and high levels of terrestrial illumination have washed out the stars overhead—a phenomenon called “sky glow.” READ THE FULL STORY ON LINE! In my opinion this is the best "light pollution" story ever published by a popular magazine. The Webmaster More on the web - Another link to great comments about the NEW YORKER article, Making War On Light Pollution Regional -- Sacramento County --- Notes from Deer Creek Hills Bat and Astronomy Night Sacramento Valley Conservancy www.sacramentovalleyconservancy.org Ecological Light Pollution Links Lights out on Britain's bats, As more buildings are lit up at night, bats are in trouble - because they need darkness to feed. Vision in Echolocating Bats, The aim of this thesis is to investigate the use of vision by echolocating bats. IMPACT OF LIGHTING ON BATS (.pdf) "Ecological Light Pollution" in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (.pdf 300k) Environmental Effects of Light Pollution, darksky.org Photobiology and Pathology, darksky.org Sky Quality Meter Readings in Northern California (Dear Creek data added) The Sacramento County General Plan is being updated. Support Dark Skies with your comments. The Sacramento County General Plan Draft now addresses Light Pollution and Outdoor Lighting! See Skykeepers of Sacramento County for more details. Seeing stars is simple as turning down the lights Sacramento Bee - Aug 27, 2007 Web Site - A new page has been created Light at Night (LAN) and Health, 17 JUN 2008	11 JUL 2017 Home Navigation Links Announcements A Light Pollution V Light Pollution E Light Pollution Measurements Energy Waste Global Warming CA & NV at Night Dark Parks Media Coverage Section - IDA Sections Section Activities Sac.Co.Sky... Mission & Vision N-N Activism Government Lighting - Cal View Cal OL-Regs Good Lighting Good & Bad New Fixtures Links - Announcements Lighting Links Astronomy Skykeepers IDA's Web Site

skykeepers.org/anouncements.html