This year has been stellar for enjoying Maine's skies. April's total eclipse of the sun inspired awe and drew tourists from around the world. Dancing Northern Lights surprised and delighted us throughout the year, and in October, we were treated to the nightly appearance of the brightest comet visible in nearly 30 years.
A dark night sky full of stars is a shared human heritage, an inspiring experience that has sparked art, music, literature and mythology. The positions of stars and constellations have served to track time, guide cultural and agricultural practices and support navigation by both people and wildlife since ancient times. Yet this basic resource is now increasingly rare. A comprehensive atlas released in 2019 found that a third of humanity - including nearly 80% of North Americans - can no longer see the Milky Way due to light pollution.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Eliza Townsend is the Maine conservation policy director for the Appalachian Mountain Club. Francesca Gundrum is the director of advocacy for Maine Audubon.
Light pollution is the human alteration of outdoor light levels from those that occur naturally, and its growing prevalence is worrisome. Studies have found that excess artificial light disrupts our circadian rhythms, leading to sleep disorders and other negative impacts on human mental and physical health. Light pollution has significant negative effects on wildlife species, too.
Like humans, animals and plants live by a rhythm attuned to our planet's 24-hour lightness and darkness cycle. Light pollution causes disorientation. It disrupts reproductive behaviors in birds, leading to changes in mating calls, nesting times and overall breeding success. It disrupts important visual cues, causing migrating birds to wander off course and never reach their intended destination or to deplete the energy stores they need to arrive there.
Light pollution has also been shown to interfere with amphibian movement, make breeding and migrating frogs and salamanders more vulnerable to predation and affect foraging, breeding, growth and development. We know that insect populations have declined drastically in recent decades, and light pollution is one driver of that decline. For example, moths and other insects are attracted to artificial light and may stay near it all night, expending unnecessary energy, interfering with mating and migration, and leaving them exceedingly vulnerable to predators.
There is good news, however. East of the Mississippi River, Maine enjoys some of the darkest night skies around. Both the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument and the Appalachian Mountain Club's forestland in Piscataquis County have been recognized by Dark Sky International for the quality of their night skies. Across the state, events celebrating the night sky from Rangeley to the 100 Mile Wilderness to the Blue Hill Peninsula are increasingly popular, showcasing the potential of a growing astrotourism economy.
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Mainers recognize that we have something special here, an asset worth protecting. At least 10 Maine communities from Rangeley to York and Greenville to Bar Harbor have adopted local ordinances to limit light pollution. The Land Use Planning Commission, which oversees planning and code enforcement for Maine's 10.5 million-acre unorganized territories, unanimously adopted stronger lighting standards in September of this year.
Even with this great progress, there's more we can all do to protect the awesome and inspirational night sky experience for Mainers and visitors. We can each ensure the outdoor lighting on our own property only lights what is needed when needed, is no brighter than necessary and uses warmer light. Dark sky-compliant lighting fixtures and bulbs are readily available, no more expensive than those that waste light, and can produce considerable savings. For example, after retrofitting its old streetlights, the town of Greenville saved $10,000 in electricity costs in the first year.
We can also ask our state lawmakers to support dark skies legislation in Augusta. For the upcoming session, Rep. Laurie Osher of Orono has proposed a bill requiring that new or replacement lighting installed using public funds or on public property meets standards that prevent light pollution, and it encourages municipalities to adopt local ordinances. A modest but meaningful step forward, it's based on the recommendations from Dark Sky International.
Our organizations and partners around the state are committed to conserving the night skies that Mainers and visitors love and that nature needs. Working together, we can make the future bright - and the skies dark.
"Nature Connects" is a monthly column showcasing conservation stories from people and organizations across Maine. To learn more or suggest story ideas, email [email protected].
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