What is a Dark-Sky Preserve?

One of my favourite summer activities is to sit out on our deck at the cottage during a clear summer evening and contemplate the Milky Way. Unfortunately, most North Americans, and in fact, 1.3 billion people globally, live where there is so much artificial light that the Milky Way is not visible to the naked eye.

To preserve the night sky, the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada has initiated the Dark Sky Preserve (DSP) program.

The DSP program protects the night sky by controlling the number, placement and design of light fixtures. No excess light spills over where it is not needed. As noted in my Guide to the National Parks of Canada, “Eliminating light pollution ensures visitors can appreciate the night while also providing plants and animals with the most natural habitat possible.”

Working with partners like Parks Canada, the DSP has successfully established areas where nature’s night environment is protected for the benefit of all species, including humans. The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada has certified 20 Dark-Sky Preserves in Canada to date. Ten of these are found in Canada’s National Parks: Point Pelee, Grasslands, Kouchibouguac, Elk Island, Bruce Peninsula, Kejimkujik, Fundy, Jasper, and Wood Bufallo. During my visit to Point Pelee in May, I stayed up late one evening by the campfire to experience the night sky at the tip of Ontario.

Here are a few interesting facts on Park Canada’s promotion of the Dark Sky Preserve Program:

Grasslands National Park is the darkest Dark-Sky Preserve in Canada
Wood Buffalo National Park, our country's largest national park, is presently the largest Dark-Sky Preserve in the world with an area of 44,807 km2.
Parks Canada protects more dark skies than any other agency or jurisdiction in the world.

If you’ve never seen the Milky Way, I encourage you to escape the light pollution from your city or town and find yourself a starry sky, maybe in a National Park! For more information on the Dark-Sky Preserve program check out: http://www.rasc.ca/dark-sky-site-designations