Flagstaff, Arizona, may seem like a unique place for the Virgin Islands to search for public policy inspiration.
It is a drive nearly 300 miles from the sea and an hour and a half from the Grand Canyon, surrounded by deserts, mountains and pine forests of Ponderosa.
But visit downtown Flagstaff on a clear night and look up. Despite being in the middle of a city of about 76,000 people, you can see millions of sparkling stars.
In fact, you can see whether they stand in the middle of a road town with a population of around 15,000 at most.
why? Because Flagstaff has worked tirelessly for decades to minimize light pollution. In 2001, it was officially recognized as the world’s first “International Dark Sky City” for its pioneering work in the region. It claims this was carried out without compromising safety.
Since then, it has been a nonprofit organization based in Arizona. Dark Sky International It has certified over 200 Dark Sky Places in 22 countries on six continents.
Many of them, including Flagstaff, sell designations to tourists – more and more now Plan their vacation Stargazing Top of Mind.
So far, none of the designated regions are in the Caribbean. This means the Virgin Islands could be the first.
But so far, the territory has had little concern about light pollution. This is a big mistake.
In road towns and other population centers, huge floodlights shine in certain areas, but others remain in the shadows. And if you don’t deal with light pollution right away, you just have to look across the water into a bright halo of bright light around St. Thomas to see the future of the territory.
The international astronomical coalition is urging domestic and local governments to protect the “citizens’ right to enjoy the vision of the starry sky” by establishing “oasis of dark sky” that is protected at night from excessive artificial light.
How can you achieve that?
Dark Sky International states that programmatic accreditations “most often start with a small group of individuals seeking formal protection of the Nightscape and setting positive examples of communities and countries.”
From there, local governments must take various measures to board to minimize light pollution. Implementing lighting management plans. Protects outdoor lights from the sky and connects them to a timer or motion sensor. Limit the use of bright signs. Use a special light bulb. Recognize the dark sky as a protected resource. Establish a lightweight program.
If VIs want to seek certification, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke could be the perfect place to start, but Tortola and Virgin Gouda would like to follow suits as well.
Certainly, VI could possibly become the world’s first “territories of dark sky.”
However, you do not need to authenticate to get started.
Governments, businesses and homeowners can start switching to night-friendly lighting solutions once they replace their existing bulbs and fixtures. Dark Sky International Website I’ll explain how to do that.
The night sky is a beautiful resource that is taken too often for granted. The Virgin Islands need to protect it.
