| Night
skies have only recently been recognized as an important resource
to National Parks and the nation. It is currently estimated that
two-thirds of the nations population live in which they cannot see
the Milky Way. Many people seek protected lands such as National
Parks and wilderness areas to experience this vanishing resource.
Maintaining the dark night sky above many National Park units is
a high priority for resource protection and visitor enjoyment. Threats
to the night sky include expanding urban populations, private land
developments on the park boundaries, increased use of outdoor lights
by rural residents, and the National Park Service’s own facilities.
Light pollution, the byproduct of poor quality outdoor lighting,
can have significant effects on the quality of the night sky, even
at great distances.
This panorama shows light levels in the night sky over Walnut Canyon
National Monument, Arizona. Although Flagstaff, population 75,000,
is evident to the west, the sky is much darker than would normally
be expected given the town’s proximity and population.
Development along park borders has been a concern for units of the
National Park Service and this is true with Wind Cave as more people
purchase land adjacent to the park and develop ranchettes. Overflow
light from neighboring communities and small landowners have a serious
impact to night sky quality. The affect of light pollution from
nearby and distant development is already visible in the otherwise
pristine night sky. Wind Cave’s night sky resource is on par
of other more traditional resources and touches almost every aspect
of park management from scenery to ecosystem integrity, from cultural
resource relevance to environmental leadership. Not only is the
night sky above Wind Cave among the best in the nation, it is particularly
germane to the prairie ecosystem, where the day and night sky form
such an important part of the scenery. Wind Cave is also a Class
I airshed, offered the highest protection under the Clean Air Act.
Daytime and Nighttime visibility are considered Air Quality Related
Values under CAA Amendments; and the protection of night skies is
identified under the 2001 NPS Management Policies. Although precious
little research exists documenting the impact of light pollution
on ecosystems and wildlife, there is enough study to be concerned
about the long-term negative impact to nocturnal wildlife.
The NPS has been a leader in the field of protecting night skies.
The NPS Night Sky Initiative has underscored the importance of this
rapidly disappearing resource, the agency has been at the forefront
of developing measurement methods, and the effort enjoys widespread
public support and attention. In fiscal year 2005, funding has been
designated to begin inventories of night skies at Wind Cave, Homestead,
Devils Tower, and Jewel Cave. The objectives of this project are
two-fold. First is to gather comprehensive baseline data on night
sky brightness levels in and around the park. This will consist
of photographs and datasets that will be combined to construct a
baseline condition incorporating both light pollution and atmospheric
interactions. The second objective is to develop a night sky resource
plan that will include a long term monitoring strategy, a pool of
data to reinforce management concerns, and outreach/education programs.
The timing of this project is critical. Development pressures at
the boundary of the park necessitate immediate information. If we
can capture the quality of the night sky now we can communicate
this to the public and use it as a baseline to document (or prevent)
future degradation.
Methods will follow those developed by the NPS Night Sky Team, and
data collected will be directly comparable to the existing datasets
that have already been collected at other parks. Funding for this
project will be used to purchase a research grade CCD camera system,
automated robotic mount, optics, and software, as well as personnel
time to conduct the research. This will enable each of the parks
to precisely measure night sky brightness, build a very complete
baseline condition, and respond immediately to data gaps and development
pressure.
This project will also bring important training and equipment to
the local network of parks. Many of the region’s parks share
similar threats and resource conditions. Additionally, parks such
as Custer State Park would benefit from a concentrated effort in
the ecoregion. Data collected at other locations will provide a
better understanding of the gradients of light pollution around
the park and assist other parks in collecting data. A large portion
of the project is dedicated toward sharing resources between parks.
Because the scale of light pollution extends well over a hundred
miles (much like air pollution), it makes sense to take a wider
perspective.
Comments
and feedback about Resource Ramblings are encouraged and can be
made to Dan Foster, in person, or via email.
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Wind Cave National Park Resource Management News Briefs
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