College groups to conduct dark skies survey along Blue Ridge Parkway

Students and faculty from Colgate and Wellesley will be traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway the week of March 14-20 to conduct what is called a dark skies survey, intended to evaluate and protect the national park’s nighttime environment.

Beginning at Milepost 0 in the Waynesboro area, the team will work its way south along the Parkway during the seven-day study period, stopping at roadside overlooks to measure the darkness of the night sky.

The groups will visit park facilities to record the brightnesses and colors emitted by light fixtures.

They will be joined along the way by colleagues and students from Radford University and astronomy graduate students from the University of Virginia.

Partners from UNC-Asheville, Appalachian State and Western Carolina will be conducting similar dark sky and light fixture surveys along the Parkway in North Carolina.

“The effort will measure the brightness of the sky above the entire length of the Parkway and identify opportunities to reduce light pollution with the goal of preserving and improving Parkway’s night skies,” said Jeff Bary, the chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Colgate. “As a kid who discovered the stars while growing up in the Central Appalachian mountains, it’s such a pleasure to be involved in a project that seeks to preserve our exceptional view of the night sky for future generations of kids like me.”

Students and professors will also host three community meetings to share information about the importance of dark skies and the role local communities can play in protecting them.

These meetings are open to the public and will take place on the following dates:

• Bedford: 4-6 p.m., March 16, Bedford Area Welcome Center, 816 Burks Hill Road
• Floyd: 4-6 p.m., March 17, Hotel Floyd Conference Room, 300 Rick Lewis Way
• Galax: 4-6 p.m., March 19, Center 2:42 Community Building, 227 S. Main St.

“Dark skies are one of the Blue Ridge Parkway’s most awe-inspiring but least appreciated resources,” said George Ivey, director of Blue Ridge Rising. “By supporting this dark sky survey, we’re also gathering information to help communities attract the growing segment of night-sky tourists, who are eager to find great locations to see the stars, planets, meteor showers, and more. The night sky can serve as an environmental, cultural, and economic resource all at once.”

For more information about the dark skies survey or to attend a community meeting, contact Jason Urroz, Vice President of Education at the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, at [email protected] or (866) 308-2773, ext. 384.