Preserving Dark Skies through Partnerships
In briefAI summary — tap to read
Stephen Hummel, Dark Sky Initiative Coordinator at University of Texas at Austin's McDonald Observatory, explains how strategic partnerships and accessible benefits have helped preserve dark skies across a 15,000+ square-mile region spanning the US-Mexico border. By framing light pollution solutions as win-win outcomes—saving energy costs, improving safety, protecting wildlife, and boosting astrotourism—the initiative has achieved a 23% reduction in light pollution since 2019 and earned international recognition as a dark sky reserve.
Key takeaways
- Light pollution is uniquely solvable overnight if communities adopt simple practices: shield lights downward, use amber/yellow wavelengths, and turn lights off when unused.
- Effective dark sky initiatives require tailoring messaging to diverse stakeholders—emphasizing cost and safety for businesses, environmental benefits for conservation groups, and tourism value for economic interests.
- Partnerships across government, nonprofits, businesses, and arts communities create grassroots momentum and shared resources that outlast any single organization's efforts.
- LED lighting alone doesn't solve light pollution; awareness and intentional design choices about color temperature and intensity are essential to prevent a 'rebound effect' of increased brightness.
- Communities can advance dark skies by contacting the International Dark Sky Association, taking officials to dark sites for experiential understanding, and establishing lighting ordinances in building codes before development begins.
About Stephen HummelStephen Hummel is the Dark Sky Initiative Coordinator at University of Texas at Austin's McDonald Observatory in Far West Texas, where he manages research, public outreach for 60,000–100,000 annual visitors, and dark sky preservation efforts.
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Meeting for the week of October 17, 2022 - October 23, 2022
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Program: Preserving Dark Skies through Partnerships
Speaker: Stephen Hummel
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powered by TypeformProgram: Preserving Dark Skies through Partnerships
Speaker: Stephen Hummel
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This week's speaker, Stephen Hummel, is the Dark Skies Initiative Coordinator at the University of Texas at Austin's McDonald Observatory, located in the Big Bend region of Texas. His educational background is in international relations and astronomy. Alongside many partners, Stephen was involved in establishing the world's largest International Dark Sky Association certified Dark Sky Reserve in the Big Bend region of Texas and Mexico in early 2022. Prior to this, Stephen was involved in astronomy and science outreach. In his spare time Stephen is an accomplished photographer, with images used by National Geographic, the BBC, NASA, and more.
Over the past 100+ years, the world's night skies have been rapidly vanishing due to the spread of light pollution. Thankfully, easy solutions to light pollution exist. In a remote region of West Texas and Northern Mexico, astronomers, conservationists, parks, and many communities have teamed together to form the largest area in the world where the night sky is protected: the Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve. The reserve is not only the largest of its kind at over 15,000 square miles in area, but also the first such reserve to cross an international border. At the core of the reserve is the University of Texas' McDonald Observatory, home to one of the largest telescopes in the world. McDonald Observatory has worked with surrounding communities for decades to promote better lighting practices to preserve our night skies, without requiring people to live in darkness. Stephen Hummel will discuss the impact of artificial light as well as the strategies that have led to the reserve's success.
Members and guests, please welcome Stephen Hummel!
To learn more, go to:
https://www.bigbenddarkskyreserve.org/
Find the International Dark-Sky Association
https://darksky.org
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