Subject: Whiterock's Dark Skies Attract Astronomers
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2007 14:29:25 -0500
From: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]

 

Contacts:

-Tolif Hunt, Director, Whiterock Conservancy, tel. 712-684-2697, Ext 111, [log in to unmask]; www.whiterockconservancy.org;

-Rachel Garst, Coon Rapids-Whiterock Great Place Chair, h/o 712-651-2015, [log in to unmask];

-Al Johnson, Ames Area Amateur Astronomy Club, 515-233-4831, [log in to unmask];

-Amateur astronomer Dave Oesper, 608-935-1694, [log in to unmask]; 

-Websites: www.iowastarparty.com; www.darksky.org

 

IN THE DARK AND LOVING IT: Star Party in Coon Rapids

 

(Coon Rapids, August 23, 2007) Amateur astronomers from all over the Midwest will gather Sept. 6-10 for the Fifth Annual Iowa “Star Party” to be held at Whiterock Conservancy near Coon Rapids. Why this place? Because it is one of the darkest areas and so offers the best stargazing in the entire state. 

 

For three days and four dark nights, the Star Party participants will share their tips and telescopes and enjoy a talk by ISU Professor of Astrophysics Dr. Steven Kawaler about the search for planets similar to Earth. Meanwhile, their spouses and children will be enjoying hiking, camping, and canoeing in the beautiful Whiterock Valley. Registration forms are still available for interested astronomers at www.whiterockconservancy.org, www.iowastarparty.com, or by calling Whiterock at 712-684-2964 ext 112.

 

PUBLIC VIEWING NIGHT FRIDAY SEPT 7th

 

A free public night sky viewing event will be held on Friday, September 7th at 7:30 pm. The event will include a short “astronomy 101” class, open night sky viewing and sky interpretation from local and regional astronomers, and door prizes. All ages are welcome and will enjoy the evening! You don’t need your own telescope to attend.  

 

Whiterock Conservancy’s Star Field is located about seven miles southeast of Coon Rapids, Iowa. When you enter the field, get parked as soon as you can to minimize the impact of headlight pollution. Once your eyes adjust to the darkness, you are invited to walk around the field to visit each telescope and chat with astronomers.

 

Assuming clear skies that night, each telescope owner will gladly show you (and your children or students) spectacular galaxies, stars, and nebula millions of light-years away.

 

Coon Rapids is located 75 miles northwest of Des Moines and 100 miles east of Omaha on Highway 141. To get to the Star Field, between Bayard and Coon Rapids turn south off of 141 onto Fig Avenue (a gravel road), drive 3 1/4 miles (crossing the river valley), then drive east on 140th Street for 1/4 mile. There will be someone to orient you as you arrive at the Star Field turn-in. 

 

Living in rural areas offers special advantages. “My two grandkids just visited from Buffalo, New York,” says local horse breeder Joe Stablein. “Every night we took them out to see the stars before they went to bed. Even in Iowa you can rarely find a place where you cannot see lights: headlights, yard lights, whatever. But south of Coon Rapids there are some spots where it is still almost entirely dark.”

 

As indiscriminate lighting has washed out increasing areas of the country, most US residents have lost their ability to see the stars. “There are no words to even begin to describe the experience of gazing up into a dark star-filled sky,” says Tolif Hunt, Director of Whiterock Conservancy. “To lose this is tragic, especially since the problem could so easily be solved with just a little public education and awareness.

 

“All that is needed is to ensure that any outdoor lighting fixtures include a hood to direct light downwards instead of just letting it stream up into the skies. Switching lights off except when needed is also a good step. These measures do not even cost more; in fact, they end up saving money in the form of reduced electric bills.”  

 

“However, if no one recognizes darkness as a natural resource that might be worth thinking about and preserving, and takes the simple and cost-effective steps to protect it, viewing the heavens will be an option quickly lost to both us and our children.” 

 

Fortunately, the 4,300-acre Whiterock Conservancy tract southeast of Coon Rapids remains comparatively dark. This is due both to its rural location midway between the bright spots of Des Moines and Omaha, and also because urban and rural residents of Coon Rapids (pop 1,300) have already begun to recognize the precious nature of darkness and started to take the simple steps needed to protect against light pollution.  

 

About a decade ago, Dave Oesper, an amateur astronomer then living in Ames, ran a computer program that identified the exceptional darkness of the Coon Rapids area. He immediately rented a local pasture where he installed a large telescope (protected by a roll-away shed) and then set out to convince local landowners to use the right kind of lights in their farmyards and businesses.  

 

“The first time we talked to the local ethanol plant about dark sky protection, they looked at us like we were crazy,” reports Liz Garst, manager of Garst Farm Resorts ecotourism business (now donated to Whiterock). “Once they realized we were serious and understood about dark skies, the plant agreed to make some minor adjustments to their lighting scheme, such as switching the outdoor floodlights off until they were truly needed. Poet Biotechnology has ended up saving good money on their electric bill, and Coon Rapids residents and visitors have been able to continue to enjoy exceptional stargazing. It’s been win-win all around.”  

 

Whiterock Conservancy is a non-profit land trust recently created to manage a large conservation land donation from the Garst Family of Coon Rapids. Its mission is to promote sustainable land management; provide low-impact public recreation and environmental education; and conserve the area’s many natural resources, including its dark skies. Whiterock rents a feed lot to a local cattle operator; per board policy he now switches off his feedlot lights when they are not needed.  

 

“Darkness is a natural resource just as are plants and soil,” stresses Whiterock Director Hunt. “Unfortunately it has rarely been recognized as such, and that is why our ability to see the skies has been eroding with so little attention to very simple measures needed to prevent this problem. People have been blasting light all over the place, when it makes far more environmental and economic sense to use light where and when it is truly needed.”

 

In October 2005, the Coon Rapids-Whiterock area was designated one of the first three Iowa Great Places. A local public-private partnership is pursuing a comprehensive plan to build upon local cultural and natural assets to improve quality of life and to attract visitors from around the state.

 

This includes working to get the City of Coon Rapids designated as an official “dark sky community” with the International Dark Sky Association (www.darksky.org). Whiterock also hopes to raise money to develop its Star Field (currently just a very dark pasture). Plans include special parking arrangements to prevent headlight intrusions, cement piers with electric plug-ins where the astronomers can mount their sensitive computerized equipment, and sloped benches where the general public can lean back and take in the amazing night sky. 

 

Says Hunt, “We aim to serve both astronomers doing “deep sky” viewing and research, and also those who just want a place to simply appreciate the increasingly rare view of a star-filled heaven. More importantly, we hope to educate the general public in order to enhance dark skies across the state.”

 

The local Great Place committee also wants to encourage all Iowa cities and counties to consider passing dark-sky ordinances, such as the one already passed by the City of Ames. These would require new construction to use hooded or capped outdoor light fixtures, with a few targeted exceptions such as lights directed upwards to illuminate flags and monuments.

 

“It is better to have an established ordinance so that local contractors and electricians can guide clients to the right kind of lighting up front,” says Rachel Garst, chair of the Coon Rapids-Whiterock Great Place Committee. “It doesn’t cost any more, but so many people have simply never thought about the issue. By the time they realize they have bought sky-invasive lights, they have already spent the money. At that point it is kind of late in the game to be bringing up dark skies and stars.” 

 

Adds Hunt, “Iowans urgently need to become aware of this issue. It is still not too late for our rural state. Which do we want, energy savings and the stars, or lights blasting all over the place? If you want to see the benefits of darker skies, please join us in Coon Rapids Friday Sept 7th. There is only one word to describe what you will see: priceless.”  

 

END

 

Whiterock Conservancy, 1390 Highway 141, Coon Rapids, IA 50058, is a nonprofit land trust that accepts charitable donations. If you wish to be removed from the Whiterock mailing list, please email Connie Goode at [log in to unmask] or call 712-684-2964 ext 112.