Fargo Standard

Lecture tonight REMINDER at the VCSU Planetarium Rhoades Sci Center Room 309! The Barnes County Historical Society Lecture Series Season 22 Presents:  Patrick Sommer (International Dark-Sky Association) “A Proposed Return to Dark Skies ” 7:00 PM Thursday, September 15th at the Valley City State University Planetarium (Rhodes Science Center Room 309)

On January 27, 1880, Thomas Edison received the historic patent embodying the principles of his incandescent lamp that paved the way for the universal domestic use of electric light.  Since then, we have been illuminating the night and, in the process, eliminating the dark sky.  The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) is the recognized authority on light pollution and is the leading organization combating light pollution worldwide.  The night sky, filled with stars, is celebrated, and protected around the world as a shared heritage benefitting all living things.  We seek to protect the night from light pollution. By providing leadership, tools, and resources for individuals, policymakers, and industry, we will reduce light pollution and promote responsible outdoor lighting that is beautiful, healthy, and functional. We will bring the issue of light pollution to diverse communities worldwide with the goal of creating access to information about the destructive impact of over-lighting and the benefits of responsible lighting. Key points of the discussion will be on birds and human health impacts, with a secondary focus on cultural impacts.

Patrick Sommer lives in Fargo and works full-time for the North Dakota Air National Guard.  His mission locally for the IDA is to raise awareness about light pollution, its hazardous effects on our ecosystem including animal and human health, the loss of our human connections to the night sky, and to educate the public on mitigation steps they can take to make a difference.  Long term, he would like to help guide communities in our region to enact night sky-friendly lighting ordinances, and eventually establish a Dark Sky Place.

The public is cordially invited

All Lectures are at the Barnes County Historical Society Museum and held in conjunction with Valley City State University.  They are free and open to the public.

For more information contact Wes Anderson at 701-845-0966

Barnes County Historical Society

315 Central Ave N

Valley City, ND 58072

Original source can be found here.