The Technical Committee met yesterday to discuss the International Dark Sky Association’s requirements for designation as a Dark Sky Community, tying in with the business support efforts launched this past weekend by Tim Povlick and Lois Diehl, developing a worksheet to analyze Nathan Dupre’s research of existing city-owned and commercial lighting.
Most of the meeting, however, focused on reviewing a design prepared by Mike Barton and Alan Koharcheck of a prototype anti-glare shield that could be easily added to existing light fixtures. Committee members then developed a plan to create a demonstration project using the anti-glare shield to determine if the shield will achieve the results the members expect, the elimination of off-site glare and light-trespass.
Five of the seven member of the Technical Committee discuss the design of an anti-glare shield. From left to right: Nathan Dupre, Marty Spahr, Alan Koharcheck, Michael Barton, and Tim Povlick. Missing from the photo: Paul Andrews and Dan Krupicka.
Let us know if this Initiative is important to you, if you are willing to get involved, and what else you think we should be doing to improve, preserve, and protect dark skies in Ivins. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
Here is an excerpt from a presentation by Marc Deshowitz at Red Mountain Resort, “Preserving one of our most precious resources… our night sky.” We will post six more video excerpts from Marc’s presentation over the next few weeks. Here are the titles of the seven video excerpts:
Are we losing our heritage of dark skies?
How light pollution increases air pollution
The hidden danger in white light: Blue
Outdoor lighting harms nature and crops
Bright white light doesn’t increase safety
Simple outdoor retrofit examples
What you can do to improve outdoor lighting
Let us know if this Initiative is important to you, if you are willing to get involved, and what else you think we should be doing to improve, preserve, and protect dark skies in Ivins. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
More than 300 people signed endorsement cards supporting the efforts of the Ivins Night Sky Initiative to protect the night sky over Ivins at the group’s two kick-off events over the past five days.
It started with a presentation at Red Mountain Resort last Wednesday by Marc Deshowitz on the impacts of light pollution and a discussion of solutions. More than 100
people attended, including Chris Hart, the Mayor of Ivins, who gave some introductory comments supporting the group’s mission.
Ivins Mayor Chris Hart speaking at our kick-off event at Red Mountain Resort
That was followed by the Initiative setting up an information table at the Kayenta Street Painting Festival this past weekend and sponsoring a professional artist, Anat Ronen, to paint her interpretation of the night sky over Ivins.
Professional artist Anat Ronen creates her interpretation of the night sky over Ivins
Most of the 300+ endorsements came from residents of Ivins, which makes sense because the Initiative is focused on that city. But the group was excited to see so many others around region showing support for the Initiative. And they want to protect their night sky too.
Nearly 100 people from St. George, Santa Clara, Hurricane, Leeds, Washington and other communities in Utah signed endorsements at these two events.
Alison Holland gets three more endorsements at the Kayenta Street Painting Festival
In addition to endorsements, these events resulted in some Home Owner Associations asking the group for information for their homeowners and inviting the group to give their members’ a similar presentation. And two businesses approached the Initiative offering to promote the group’s goals with brochures and other information at their businesses.
Cherie Stoddard’s Gallery 873 not only supports our goals, but she prominently displays our brochures in the gallery.
Let us know if this Initiative is important to you, if you are willing to get involved, and what else you think we should be doing to improve, preserve, and protect dark skies in Ivins. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
We set up an information table at this year’s Kayenta Street Painting Festival to tell people about our goals and share information about good outdoor lighting practices.
Our volunteers were kept busy, answering questions, explaining our goals, and getting endorsements. We haven’t counted them yet, but we received more than 150 endorsements supporting our mission.
Chris Haddad and Patty Dupre getting ready for the opening of the Festival
We also sponsored professional artist Anat Ronen to paint her interpretation of the night sky over Ivins. Watch her create an anamorphic street painting showing her interpretation of the night sky over Ivins.
The finished paintingAlison Holland watches people sign endorsement cards supporting our efforts after she explained our mission and goalsOur volunteers stayed busy all day answering questions from Festival goers.Lois and Tim wrapped up Saturday at the Festival.
Probably the youngest person in the audience last night for the presentation by Marc Deshowitz was Lily Williams. She is eight years old and is Marc’s granddaughter.
Lily was interested in attending last night’s presentation, “Preserving one of our most precious resource… our night sky.” She had watched Marc work on parts of his presentation at home and wanted to see the whole presentation.
In fact, she was so interested that she created a painting for Marc and then went on to create her own presentation about sea turtles. Here is her interpretation of the night sky.
Interpreting the night sky, by Lily Williams, 8 years old, Arrowhead Elementary
Lily is fortunate to live in a place where she can see the night sky and be inspired to paint it. Will future generations be so fortunate?
The population of Ivins doubled since 2000 and is expected to double again in just over 20 years. What will our night sky look like with twice the light pollution we have today?
Will there be nothing left to see for our children to be inspired by, marvel at, and cherish? Will the wonderment of the night sky be just a distant faded memory for those of us who were once lucky enough to gaze upon it?
We can’t let that become our fate. That’s why we are taking action now to improve, preserve, and protect the night sky over Ivins. We’re fortunate that the Mayor of Ivins agrees.
Contact us to tell us you support our efforts and/or to volunteer to help improve, preserve, and protect the night sky over Ivins. We have a lot of work to do and need all the help and expertise we can get.
Last night more than 100 people showed up at Red Mountain Resort to hear a presentation by Marc Deshowitz, “Preserving one of our most precious resource… our night sky.” We will post excerpts from Marc’s presentation on Monday.
Ivins City Mayor, Chris Hart, kicked off last night’s event with a personal story sharing his passion for the night sky and his efforts to improve, preserve, and protect the night sky over Ivins.
We would like to thank Red Mountain Resort for donating the conference room and audio/visual equipment, along with a special thanks to Lindy Larson, the Resort’s Conference Manager, for personally setting up additional chairs for us because our RSVPs exceeded our original maximum of 100 people.
Both Marc and Chris made it clear why it is important to improve, protect, and preserve the night sky over Ivins. But it took an 8 year old in the audience to show us why we need to act now.
Here is a 3 minute video of excerpts from the Mayor’s 12 minute presentation.
Many of us have experienced this scenario: a neighbor has an unshielded fixture that casts a bright light that spills onto your property and perhaps even inside your home.
This is known as light trespass and it can cause a lot of agony and frustration. Although we don’t get involved in neighbor disputes, we have provided this resource that we hope will help you resolve your problem.
To be fair, your neighbor may not even realize that their unshielded lighting is shining on your property, wasting energy, money and creating a safety hazard.
Step 1: Is the light bothering you a violation?
The first thing to do is some research to find out if the light that is a problem for you is actually in violation of the Ivins Outdoor Lighting Ordinance. (Click here to download the Ivins City ordinance.)
Step 2: Is the light grandfathered?
If it appears the neighbor’s light is not permitted in the ordinance, it still may be permitted because there is usually a grandfathering provision exempting lighting that was in place before the ordinance was passed. The current ordinance was passed in 2007.
Step 3: If it is a violation, talk to your neighbor
Don’t hesitate to ask your neighbor for their advice or opinion in solving the problem. Goodwill goes a long way.
Many people believe that more and brighter lighting makes us safer, but there is no conclusive evidence suggesting that’s true. In fact, glare from unshielded lights can create harsh shadows where criminals can hide. And bright lighting can even make it easier for criminals to work.
So, how do you talk to your neighbor about this situation?
We suggest taking the following steps to educate your neighbor, and by extension your community, about the value of dark sky friendly lighting.
Practical Actions:
Make friends, not enemies. Your neighbors probably don’t even realize their lighting is bothersome.
Stay positive and don’t argue. Be tactful and understanding about your neighbor’s right to light their property.
Suggest alternatives to their current fixture. Ask them to move the light, shield it, or add a motion sensor so it’s activated only when needed. Offer to help get this done. (Check back: we will be providing information about alternatives soon.)
Be informative. Talking to your neighbor is an great opportunity to be an advocate for good lighting. There are many reasons to use dark sky friendly lighting. Read up on the issues regarding light pollution. In addition to the articles on the “Information” section of our website, the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) also has a number of educational resources that can be useful.
It’s useful to know the local costs of electricity and the savings your neighbor may be able to realize. (Check back: We will upload a spreadsheet calculator soon.)
You may also want to compile a list of local businesses or homes in the neighborhood with good quality lighting as an example of effective security measures that are dark sky friendly. (Check back: We will be providing examples soon.)
Having a list of shielded light fixtures to provide as alternatives to your neighbor’s current lighting is also recommended. Use the IDA Fixture Seal of Approval database to find dark sky friendly fixtures and devices.
Don’t dismiss their need to feel safe. Remember that home is a place where everyone wants to feel relaxed and safe.
Explain that light trespass is a form of light pollution.
Remember that everyone wants the same thing: a chance to relax in his or her own environment. Work together to create an atmosphere that benefits the community
Write a letter. You may find it useful to put your thoughts on paper. We have provided a Sample Letter to Your Neighbor to get you started.
Step 4: Talk to us
We don’t get involved in neighbor-to-neighbor disputes, but if you have completed the first three steps above and have not resolved the problem, tell us about everything you did. We may be able to point you towards additional existing resources, or create some new information that could be useful.
If you were successful in resolving the problem, we want to hear about it. Tell us what the problem was and what you and your neighbor did to fix it. Your story, told anonymously, will help others.
Step 5: Talk to the City
If you are unable to resolve the problem after taking all of the actions above, then talk to the City. A lighting ordinance isn’t very useful if it’s not enforced. But it is important to be able to demonstrate to the City, (a) why it is a violation, and (b) all the steps you took in an effort to cooperatively resolve the problem with your neighbor.
Join us at the Kayenta Street Painting Festival this Saturday and Sunday, April 27 and 28 at the Kayenta Art Village.
We are proud to sponsor Anat Ronen, a well known Texan artist who has traveled the country sharing her amazing 3D and 2D paintings. She will be doing an original piece for us that will showcase our night skies. Come and watch this talented artist at work.
About Anat
Anat, a native of Israel, is a Houston based self-taught multi-disciplinary artist. She initiated her professional art career in late 2008 when the desire to stay in the US and make a living left her with no other choice. Anat had no idea where that desire would take her, and looking back, the journey was and still is unbelievable even to her.
Anat didn’t know she had it in her, and now every project takes her to new territories, testing her abilities and challenges her with new perspectives. Starting her artistic phase later in life means she brings some interesting insights to her work and a different perspective.
Soon enough after she became a professional artist – and in professional, she specifically means making a living out of making art – it became clear her forte is mural work.
As an untrained artist she has an organic relationship towards art-making that corresponds to a vital need, a matter of personal balance and identity. She has executed commissions all over the United States, Europe and Israel.
Anat works with a variety of materials from acrylics, latex, tempera, chalk, pen, marker, color pencils, digital and more. Typically working on at least 20 projects at one time, Anat prides herself on her ability to work on a large scale and at a rapid pace.
Her work ranges in size from a few inches to over 30 feet tall and covering a variety of subject matter. Versatility is her strong suit, commenting, “Everything inspires me.”
Glare from bright, unshielded lights actually decreases safety.
See how glare in the photo on the left makes it hard to see the man at the gate? Glare creates deep shadows, making it more difficult to see. It also shines into your eyes, constricting your pupils. This diminishes your eyes’ ability to adapt to low-light conditions.
Plus, glare from bright, unshielded lights might be unintentionally intruding on the privacy of your neighbors. Shielding that light and aiming it only where it is needed, and only when it is needed with the help of timers or motion sensors, not only increases safety but makes for happy neighbors.
Updated with information about the evening’s topics and directions.
Please join us on April 24th, from 7pm to 9pm at Red Mountain Resort for a free, fascinating presentation, “Preserving one of our most precious resources… our night sky.”
Would you like to know how you can help preserve the night sky? Then join us for this presentation on the importance of the night sky to people throughout history, and the causes, impacts, and solutions to light pollution.
Do you remember the first time you
saw the Milky Way?
Did you know over 80% of the people
in our country can no longer see the Milky Way from where they live?
Did you know the increased and
widespread use of artificial light at night is not only impairing our view of
the universe, it is adversely affecting our environment, our safety, our energy
consumption and our health?
Do you want to know how you can help
preserve the Ivins night sky?
Topics
A personal light pollution journey to the dark side
A dialogue about our heritage
What is light pollution, air pollution, sky glow, clutter…
Health concerns – birds, bees, trees, and people
Safety – home security and driving
The collateral impact of neighboring communities
What does night sky compliant lighting look like or not
Economic incentives
Some inexpensive or free solutions
What you can do
Please join us for this FREE, fascinating presentation on the causes, impacts, and solutions to light pollution
For more information, or to RSVP, please Contact Us
Red Mountain Resort Conference Center
The conference center is next to the Resort’s Canyon Breeze restaurant.
Featured speaker: Marc Deshowitz
Marc is a native of the Boston area. Upon completion of his undergraduate and graduate studies in Geology, he went to work in the energy sector for 30+ years.
Marc and his wife Chrystal retired in 2008 and are currently employed by Dixie Road Scholar where they jointly lead educational excursions across the Colorado Plateau and beyond.
Marc’s interest in preserving our night sky has led him to perform independent research on light pollution and he has experience in the design and implementation of light retrofitting projects in our area. He has provided presentations and advice on night sky preservation at local and state levels in both Utah and Nevada.
