300 likes | 319 Views
The International Dark Sky Places Program fosters community involvement in safeguarding our night skies. This initiative recognizes and supports locations worldwide that demonstrate exceptional commitment to preserving and restoring outstanding night landscapes.
E N D
International Dark Sky Places A program to encourage community involvement in the preservation and restoration of our night skies Communities – Parks - Reserves www.darksky.org/page/IDSPlaces
International Dark Sky Communities Astronomy Picture of the Day – 2008 April 16 A Protected Night Sky Over Flagstaff
International Dark Sky Parks • Exceptional commitment to, and success in implementing, night sky preservation and/or restoration • Preserve/restore outstanding night skies • Promote protection of natural habitat • Promote protection of public enjoyment • Encourage park administrators to identify the valuable resource • Encourage parks to become environmental leaders on the dark sky issue
Eligibility • Public land – regardless of managerial agency • Provide public nighttime access • Outstanding dark sky resource relative to the population it serves • Minimum sky quality • Limiting Magnitude 5.0, Bortle Scale 6 • Milky Way should be visible
Requirements Lighting Guideline/Lightscape Management Plan Proven commitment to natural skies and lightscape management
IDSR Objectives • Identify and honor public or private land and their surrounding communities with exceptional commitment to, and success in implementing, dark sky preservation and/or restoration inside and surrounding the core • Encourage land administrators to identify dark skies as a valuable resource • Preserve/restore outstanding night skies • Promote the protection of the night skies • Provide recognition for such • Encourage areas to form public/private partnerships in protection and recognition of nights skies and become environmental leaders on the issue
Mont Megantic Reserve Recommended Standards for Operating Hours • All lighting fixtures, including signs, shall be turned off at 10:00 p.m. (in zones 1 and 2) or 11:00 p.m. (in zone 3), or outside business or operating hours. • Any lighting fixtures used for security (lighting in storage areas, streets, public pedestrian areas or building entrances) are exempt from point 1. • Outdoor sales area, unloading, handling or work areas shall be illuminated at the level perscribed for storage areas outside business or operating hours, or shall reduce their lighting by 75%
Upcoming DesignationsTruly International in Scope Galloway Forest Park, Scotland, UK Hortobagy National Park, Hungary Pic du Midi, Pyrenees, France
Hortobagy National Park & the Zselic Landscape Protection Area Submission at the 9th European Symposium for the Protection of the Night Sky
Thank you! You may contact us at International Dark-Sky Association 3225 N First Ave Tucson AZ 85719 520-293-3198 ida@darksky.org www.darksky.org Kim Patten kim@darksky.org