Preserving Voyageurs National Park’s Starry Skies
The Voyageurs Conservancy is excited to announce a major achievement for our beloved national park. Voyageurs National Park is officially certified as an International Dark Sky Park.
This certification from the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) recognizes Voyageurs for the exceptional quality of its dark skies and for the park’s ongoing commitment to preserving darkness and educating the public about the night sky. The Conservancy was proud to help secure this certification by funding key light fixture changes and hosting night sky educational programs.
As we join the ranks of national parks renowned for their extraordinary night skies, our mission continues. We will continue to provide vital funding to keep our Dark Sky Initiative thriving and protect the park’s starry skies.
Thank you for helping protect the dark skies, wildlife, and cultural stories of Voyageurs for generations to come.
Dark Skies Educational Resources
Night Sky Explorer with “Astro” Bob
Curious about Dark Skies and Astronomy? The free Night Sky Explorer webinar series is perfect for those amazed by celestial events and individuals and families that want to learn how to read the night sky. Click here to view the Virtual Night Sky Explorer Series with “Astro” Bob King
“THE GREATEST WILDERNESS IS THE ONE OVER YOUR HEAD - YOU ONLY NEED TO LOOK UP.”
Night Sky Explorer Junior Ranger Booklet
Calling all kids! Are you ready to become a Junior Ranger and learn about the night sky? This explorer activities guide for ages 5-12 offers engaging ways to introduce youth to constellations, planispheres, the solar system, and more! Click here to download a free PDF copy of the Night Sky Explorer Junior Ranger Booklet
Dark Sky Initiative
To ensure that our area’s amazing night skies are preserved unimpaired for generations to come, Voyageurs National Park applied for Dark Sky Park certification from the International Dark-Sky Association. This certification affirms the park commitment to using sustainable lighting and to public education to reduce light pollution and protect the night sky.
In 2020, the Voyageurs Conservancy and the park officially launched our joint Dark Sky Initiative. Through this initiative, we will:
Develop and expand Night Sky community education programs
Develop and implement a business engagement plan to preserve area darkness
Requirements for Becoming a Dark Sky Park
The International Dark-Sky Association has a number of guidelines for becoming certified as a Dark Sky Park. Here are a few of the major ones:
The park needs to have sufficiently dark skies. From a purely visual standpoint, this means that you need to be able to easily see the Milky Way. From a more technical standpoint, the luminance of the sky needs to be at least 21.2 magnitudes per square arcsecond (22.0 is the darkest possible sky). This can be measured with a sky quality meter (SQM).
Watch this video to learn how we preserve dark skies!
The park must create a light management plan and bring its light fixtures into compliance with that plan. This means that lights are fully shielded, lighting only what they need to light, and minimizing the amount of extra light emitted. The park’s goal is to increase the number of “dark-friendly” lights from 25 percent to 67 percent, with a long-term goal of obtaining 100 percent within the next 10 years (or earlier). Lighting fixture changes have already occurred in many park facilities and parking lots.
The park must commit to public education on the importance of dark skies. This means that the park and the Conservancy will host several yearly outreach programs and create public displays and signage that focus on the importance of dark skies!
Learn more about the park’s efforts in this radio interview.
Ashley Wilson talks about the importance of Voyageurs’ Dark Skies on an episode of “Outside Science: Inside Parks”
A sky quality meter (SQM), used to measure just how dark the night sky is. Photo by Ashley Wilson
Why Does Dark Sky Preservation Matter?
Voyageurs National Park presents some of the most striking night skies in the nation. On a visit to the park, one can find themselves under a blanket of stars and discover constellations from the Ojibwe star map. The forests and wildlife of Voyageurs National Park thrive on the rhythmic cycle of day and night. Dark skies are not only a scenic wonder, but necessary for our ecosystems, human health, and preservation of cultural heritage.
However, dark skies are becoming scarce as technological advances have engulfed our skies with artificial light. The negative impacts of light pollution are increasing rapidly. The New World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness states that approximately 80% of North Americans are unable to see the Milky Way due to light pollution.
Light Pollution
Light pollution is the inappropriate or excessive use of artificial light. This light doesn't just impede our view of the stars, it is also detrimental to the environment, wildlife, and human health. Light pollution harms:
Environment: According to the International Dark-Sky Association, artificial light has been found to alter breeding and foraging behaviors in wildlife species and affect the growth rate of trees. Light pollution is especially harmful for nocturnal birds’ flight patterns, whose predation habits rely on dark skies.
Human Health: Exposure to artificial light is also detrimental to our own health, as it disrupts the circadian rhythm. This results in poor sleep quality and weakened immune systems. Further impacts and links to disease are under study.
Cultural Heritage: The Ojibwe star map is culturally significant to Northern Minnesota. These constellations have stories associated with them and many correspond with seasonal changes. Light pollution erases the ability to connect with the constellations and these indigenous narratives.
Nocturnal animals, like red foxes, depend on dark sky preservation for healthy predation habits. Photo by Steve Brown
You Can Help Protect the Night
An image of the sky from Kettle Falls to show sky luminance You can see some light pollution coming from International Falls and Fort Frances, but otherwise the sky is amazingly dark! Photo by Cynthia Lapp, Starry Skies Lake Superior IDA
No matter where you live, you can help reduce light pollution. Here are some easy-to-implement suggestions from the International Dark-Sky Association:
Light only what you need
Use energy efficient bulbs and only as bright as you need
Shield lights and direct them down
Only use light when you need it
Choose warm white light bulbs
Encourage your neighbors to do the same
