Saving the Night Sky: Dark skies and light pollution

Roeliff Jansen Community Library has a Dark Sky Explorer Backpack that can be checked out for two weeks.
Provided

Roeliff Jansen Community Library has a Dark Sky Explorer Backpack that can be checked out for two weeks.
HILLSDALE — Susan P. Bachelder, a resident of Egremont, Massachusetts, and member of DarkSky International, gave a presentation “Saving the Night Sky: Dark Skies and Light Pollution” at the Roeliff Jansen Community Library on Thursday, May 2.
Bachelder began the discussion by reminding the audience to Save the Date of Aug. 12 when the Perseids meteor shower will occur. Bachelder noted that meteors are best observed after midnight, when the they are moving in the same direction as the Earth’s rotation.
Bachelder has been a member of DarkSky International (DarkSky.org) for more than 10 years. DarkSky, originally a small Arizona based nonprofit founded in 1988, has worked for more than 30 years to restore the night-time environment and protect communities and wildlife from light pollution.
Light pollution, defined as “the inappropriate or excessive use of outside artificial light,” is having serious environmental consequences for humans, wildlife and our climate.
DarkSky International is now comprised of more than 70 chapters worldwide. DarkSky International works to certify and help conserve starry sky parks, communities and other outdoor places. The group also certifies commercial, industrial and residential outdoor lighting with an aim to reduce light pollution by working with communities, governments and professionals to prioritize quality low impact, outdoor lighting.
The talk was comprised of two parts. First, the short film “Dark Sacred Night,” a 15 -minute overview created by filmmaker Jared Flesher for the Princeton University Department of Sustainability. The film features astrophysicist Gaspar Bakos and his quest to reduce light pollution by raising awareness of the dangers of light pollution on the Earth and its inhabitants.
Filmed on location at Princeton University and the Las Campanas Observatory in the southern reaches of Chile’s Atacama Desert, Bakos speaks of the necessity to direct lighting downward to protect the night sky.
According to Bakos, “80% of the U.S. has lost the vision of the Milky Way and light pollution has increased 50% over the last 25 years…due to the conversion to LED lighting.” While it has been observed that light pollution threatens many animal species, from migrating birds to hatchling turtles, the negative impact on humans is less well documented.
The interruption of natural sleep patterns in humans can easily be linked to light pollution. Bakos stated it has only been within the last 20 years that the effects of light pollution upon the Earth have only been studied. A 2016 study conducted on “Artificial Light at Night and Cancer” concluded “artificial light at night is significantly correlated for all forms of cancer including lung, breast, colorectal and prostate cancers individually.”
A 2020 study linked the “association of outdoor artificial lighting at night with mental disorders, including mood and anxiety disorders in adolescents.”
According to Bakos, 40% of outside lighting is wasted. Lights point up into the sky, wasting about $3 billion per year by converting carbon into photons. That is the equivalent of 21 million tons of carbon dioxide emitted every year. Bakos stated that light pollution goes unchallenged because the effects are generated far away from the source therefore there is a failure to connect the cause to the outcome.
According to Bakos, the solution to light pollution is simple.
— Exterior lighting should be useful, installed only when and where it is need.
— Lights should be shielded so they only shine down upon the ground.
—Lights should be no brighter than necessary and when possible controlled by dimmers, timers or motion sensors.
— Mostly importantly, outdoor lighting should be composed of warm colors, especially red light, rather the current use of harmful blue wavelength lights.
The second part of the talk featured Bachelder’s discussion of the “Constellations of the Northern Summer Sky.” . Bachelder started by asking who in the audience had observed the recent solar eclipse on April 8. An audience member stated that he observed the eclipse “but hadn’t travelled to see it.” Bachelder responded, “Luckily in this part of the country the eclipse was 97% observable so there was no need to go anywhere.”
Bachelder, an advocate of viewing the night sky with the naked eye, pointed to the constellations observable in our region and demonstrated how to navigate from The Big Dipper (observable in this region all year long) arcing down to the Constellation of Bootes (roughly the shape of an ice cream cone) to get one oriented in the summer night sky.
Bachelder explained that although we use the term “Constellation” as a standard, many star patterns are Asterisms. Asterisms are a star pattern that makes up part of a constellation or that include more than one constellation. An example of an asterism is the Big Dipper which is part of the constellation Ursa Major.
Bachelder, a classics major, is currently studying Persian star charts. She explained people in the audience are most likely familiar with Hellenic astronomy and the constellations named by the ancient Greeks (and their Latin counterparts). She introduced participants to the Persian named constellation, Al Thuraya, Al Thurya is a bright constellation, clearly visible to the human eye in the summer night sky, and is represented by a woman with outstretched arms.
Bachelder ended her presentation briefly discussing the need for governmental agencies to regulate exterior lighting. Currently, exterior lighting is rarely if ever, regulated by site plan.
Dark Sky Backpack
Tamara Gaskell, Director of Roeliff Jansen, located at 9091 Route 22 in Hillsdale, introduced a new acquisition to the library: The Dark Sky Explorer Backpack. The backpack, donated by the Mid-Hudson Chapter Adirondack Mountain Club (www.midhudsonadk.org) contains everything needed for exploring the night sky. The backpack, which can be checked out for 21 days by Mid-Hudson library card holders, contains: sky quality meter in pouch and plastic case with Globe at night card; night vision LED flashlight; night sky planisphere; book Let There Be Light, book Lights Out; and instructions and brochures.
Millerton News
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Millerton News

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Dee Salomon
Fireweed attracts the fabulous hummingbird sphinx moth.
You must figure that, as rough as the cold weather has been for us, it’s worse for wildlife. Here, by the banks of the Housatonic, flocks of dark-eyed juncos, song sparrows, tufted titmice and black-capped chickadees have taken up residence in the boxwood — presumably because of its proximity to the breakfast bar. I no longer have a bird feeder after bears destroyed two versions and simply throw chili-flavored birdseed onto the snow twice a day. The tiny creatures from the boxwood are joined by blue jays, cardinals and a solitary flicker.
These birds will soon enough be nesting, and their babies will require a nonstop diet of caterpillars. This source of soft-bodied protein makes up more than 90 percent of native bird chicks’ diets, with each clutch consuming between 6,000 and 9,000 caterpillars before they fledge. That means we need a lot of caterpillars if we want our bird population to survive.
So how do we ensure that there are sufficient caterpillars for them? That is the question, as caterpillars are very particular. Their butterfly or moth mothers cleverly attach their eggs to the very specific plants their tiny babies require. Once they hatch, the caterpillars eat the leaves of these plants until they are either picked off by birds to feed their young or create a chrysalis and turn into a moth or butterfly to repeat the cycle of life.
Some caterpillars are generalists and can survive on a variety of plants, but most — 90 percent, according to scientists — are specialists, relying on only one or two types of plants for survival. In their winged form, dietary restrictions ease as they source pollen more widely, but when it comes time to lay eggs, they use a keen sense of smell to find the specific plants that will help their young survive.
Research by Doug Tallamy shows that 90 percent of butterfly and moth species rely on just 14 percent of native plant species for food, which makes the planting of these “keystone” plants critical. Let’s review a few.
Goldenrod: Not all goldenrod is created equal. Old field goldenrod, (Solidago nemoralis), is a shorter and less aggressive alternative to the tall, aggressive goldenrod we are familiar with, as is wrinkleleaf goldenrod, (Solidago rugosa), a compact species that has arching sprays of bright yellow flowers supporting more than 100 species of insects. This species is deer-resistant with no serious pests or diseases. Last year, Mt. Cuba Center, a conservation center out of Delaware, focused its trials on goldenrod, and its research report, available online, is sortable not just by aesthetic attributes but also by the number of insects seen on each species.
Scarlet strawberry: (Fragaria virginiana), is one of the plants I have had great luck growing in the woodland. When there is a new sunny spot, which happens when a tree or large branch falls, I plant a few strawberries, which I dig out of a spot where they are thriving. These plants make a great groundcover and are especially nice used under trees for caterpillar “soft landings.”
Spotted Joe-Pye weed: We see this plant, (Eutrochium maculatum), on roadsides in late summer, but it looks as sharp as an ornamental in the hands of Michael Trapp, who, in the garden behind his shop in West Cornwall, encloses a bed of Joe-Pye weed with a short boxwood hedge, dignifying this plant that supports between 35 to 40 caterpillar species, including those that become the three-lined flower moth, Clymene moth, ruby tiger moth, Eupatorium borer moth and great spangled fritillary moth.
I am less familiar with fireweed, (Chamaenerion angustifolium), but will be adding it this year, as it may be the prettiest of the keystone plants in our region and attracts the fabulous hummingbird sphinx moth. I will let you know when I find a local nursery that stocks it and, when planted, how it fares here.
Also keep in mind this spring: smooth aster, (Symphyotrichum laeve); white yarrow, (Achillea millefolium); and the beautiful Canadian columbine, (Aquilegia canadensis), which is the first food for hummingbirds’ arrival in the Northwest Corner.
Dee Salomon ‘ungardens’ in Litchfield County.
Robin Roraback
Stephanie Haboush Plunkett
"The field of illustration is very close to my heart"
— Stephanie Plunkett
For more than three decades, Stephanie Haboush Plunkett has worked to elevate illustration as a serious art form. As chief curator and Rockwell Center director at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, she has helped bring national and international attention to an art form long dismissed as merely commercial.
Her commitment to illustration is deeply personal. Plunkett grew up watching her father, Joseph Haboush, an illustrator and graphic designer, work late into the night in his home studio creating art and hand-lettered logos for package designs, toys and licensed-character products for the Walt Disney Co. and other clients.
“The field of illustration is very close to my heart,” she said. Inspired by that example, she studied illustration at Pratt Institute and began her career as an illustrator before shifting toward museum work. An internship at the Brooklyn Museum proved pivotal. “It was inspiring to see the children come alive in front of art,” she recalled.
In addition to her curatorial work, Plunkett is the author of two children’s books, “Kongi and Potgi: A Cinderella Story from China” and “Sir Whong and the Golden Pig,” and has written or co-authored numerous books on illustration, including “Drawing Lessons from the Famous Artists School” and “Leo Lionni: Storyteller, Illustrator, Designer.” She earned an MFA from the School of Visual Arts and built a museum career that included positions at the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum and the Heckscher Museum of Art before joining the Norman Rockwell Museum, where she has worked for 31 years.
But elevating illustration has meant challenging decades of critical skepticism.
“The goal has been to shine a light on this important American art form and to elevate public awareness of its artistic and cultural importance,”Plunkett said.
As a popular and widely circulated art, illustration is sometimes thought of as inferior to fine art, such as painting and sculpture. Plunkett considered why. She theorized that the 1913 New York Armory Show, the International Exhibition of Modern Art, with works by artists such as Picasso, Matisse and Duchamp, initially contributed to this evaluation. In the 1930s and ’40s, abstract expressionism became the art of the nation, and the rift widened further.
“Norman Rockwell became the antihero for many art critics of the time,” said Plunkett. “Illustration was viewed as too commercial and sentimental because of its emphasis on visual storytelling.”
Plunkett calls illustration “art with a job to do.” She explained, “Illustrators are adept at solving visual problems for their clients while expressing their own aesthetic and artistic vision.”

She noted that the line between the fine and applied arts “is much more porous now, with many artists working across platforms and styles.” She cited late-20th-century illustrators like Marshall Arisman, Barbara Nessim, Robert Cunningham, Bernie Fuchs and Mark English as illustrators who forged unique approaches to working and seeing.
Plunkett commented that people want to see the original illustrations. “Generally, Rockwell exhibitions bring high attendance. Currently, our traveling exhibition, ‘Norman Rockwell: From Camera to Canvas,’ is at the New Britain Museum of American Art, but we’ve traveled Rockwell and illustration to 45 states and several countries, including Japan, France, Italy and Germany.”
Nowadays, illustrators take on subjects that are important to them. “The children’s book industry is committed to sharing the richness and diversity of people and cultures with young readers.” Plunkett cited the late illustrator Jerry Pinkney’s commitment to this goal. As a boy, Pinkney found no books portraying children like him, and “his life’s mission as an artist was to present inspiring, positive images of children of color.”
The Norman Rockwell Museum and Rockwell Center seeds were sown when “Rockwell placed the first 199 artworks in the care and collection of the Norman Rockwell Museum upon its founding in 1969, some of which he personally acquired for the fledgling collection,” said Plunkett. “The museum’s current Rockwell holdings include 865 original artworks, the artist’s Stockbridge studio and an archive of 400,000 photographs, letters, props and first uses of the artist’s work. We also hold about 25,000 illustrations by other artists, from the historical to the contemporary.”
“We call ourselves the home for American illustration. We have a real commitment to illustrators and what they’ve accomplished,” said Plunkett.
The Norman Rockwell Museum is located at 9 Glendale Road, Stockbridge. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit
nrm.org
Brian Gersten
Craig Davis, co-founder and board chair of East Mountain House, an end-of-life care facility in Lakeville, will sponsor a March 5 screening of the documentary “Come See Me in the Good Light” at The Moviehouse in Millerton, followed by a discussion with attendees.
The film, which is nominated for best documentary at this year’s Academy Awards, follows the poet Andrea Gibson and their partner Megan Falley as they are suddenly and unimaginably forced to navigate a terminal illness. The free screening invites audiences to gather not just for a film but for reflection on mortality, healing, connection and the ways communities support one another through difficult life transitions.
East Mountain House grew out of a realization that “there are so many issues with how we are taking care of our dying in our community,” said David. “We wanted to provide a solution for some people where they can die in a serene and calming home-like setting.” This compassionate approach at East Mountain House is carried out with the support of seven staff members and 42 volunteers who do everything from reading to residents, gardening, cooking, communicating with family members and assisting with therapeutic treatments. East Mountain House houses just two residents at a time, and staff and volunteers work around the clock to accommodate their needs.
In a culture where we are trained to panic when a loved one is dying, and where a clinical space like a hospital is the norm for many individuals at the end of their lives, Davis feels that East Mountain House is an alternative with a natural and organic approach to death. It’s a place where death can be celebrated and viewed as something that is simply a part of life. Davis’ vision for East Mountain House is more than a decade in the making, and he is eager to introduce his work and his perspective to locals at the upcoming community screening.
One of the reasons Davis was interested in sponsoring a screening of “Come See Me In The Good Light” was because the film gracefully explores themes of vulnerability, resilience and the search for meaning in the face of death. Through its deeply personal storytelling, the film highlights how people navigate loss, transformation and the desire to be seen for who they truly are. The documentary’s emphasis on compassion and human connection aligns closely with the mission of East Mountain House, making the post-film discussion a natural extension of the evening.
Davis hopes the event will serve as both a cultural offering and a community touchstone — an opportunity for neighbors to gather in a welcoming space, share ideas and reflect on the importance of end-of-life support systems. The screening is free and open to the public, though advance registration is recommended due to limited seating.
For registration, go to themoviehouse.net.

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