Everybody knows there’s little that can rival the beauty of the night sky, and now the local Dark Sky committee is on a crusade to encourage the Department of Conservation (DOC) to designate the larger areas of their estate in the top of the south as Dark Sky sanctuaries.
There are more than 40 Dark Sky parks, reserves and preserves in the world – areas where artificial lighting is managed and restricted to ensure it doesn’t interfere with views of the night sky. The night view is protected through education for residents on how to minimise outdoor light spill, and initiatives such as using narrow spectrum amber LED lights in street lighting.
Ralph Bradley heads the Dark Sky committee and says, while the ultimate goal is to make the entire country a Dark Sky sanctuary, he would like to see DOC areas at the top of the south including Nelson Lakes, Kahurangi, Richmond State Forest and the Abel Tasman, lead the way.
“When people think of DOC they tend to think of conservation but preserving the dark sky is as much of an agenda as flora and fauna,” says Ralph.
The committee is currently targeting St Arnaud and the Rotoiti District Community Council has been seeking feedback from residents, which Ralph says has “been overwhelmingly positive”.
“It’s all about enjoying the beauty of the world we’re in, plus preserving what we’ve got. The night sky really is a treasure, it’s just magic.”
Softer lighting is required by NZTA for the street lights through St Arnaud and Ralph says, ideally, any lights in the area would have the orange rather than white tones. “You also want to shield lights, by doing this you have the light hit the ground rather than the sky.” Ralph says any unshielded lights can affect the night sky up to 25km away by lighting up moisture and dust particles in the atmosphere.
Have your say: Email jbandsjh@gmail.com to share your view. The feedback period ends on October 23.