Northwoods LIGHTS OUT! Event
It was a beautiful night for a Bat Walk at Town Line Lake Park. About 20 Friends gathered to learn about bats.
2nd Annual Northwoods Lights Out
Join your neighbors for the Second Annual Northwoods LIGHTS OUT!
Have you ever seen the Milky Way and dreamed of traveling to the stars? Remember the fun of staying up on a summer’s night watching and listening to the bats fly above your head? Have you watched meteors streak across the night sky? We invite you to discover these wonders of the dark on a special summer weekend in early August at the Second Annual Northwoods Lights Out! sponsored by The Oneida and Vilas County Land & Water Conservation Departments.
On August 3, you can participate in a BAT WALK and join others interested in the welfare of our bat friends. Meet at Town Line Lake Park just off Hwy K at 8 p.m. in the North (largest) parking lot and learn how we use a tool called the ‘Anabat’ to track the flights and sounds of Northwoods bats. Bring a head lamp or flashlight for this short nighttime walk through the park. No registration is needed for this free program.
Also, during the August 2-4 weekend, step outside, turn off your outdoor lights, find a cozy place with an open view, look up, and watch the sky light up with meteors. Enjoy the dark skies of the Northwoods.
You can help protect our night skies from light pollution. Simply turn off any unnecessary outdoor lights or switch to motion sensor lighting. Use energy-efficient bulbs in warm colors of amber, orange and red that do not confuse insects, frogs, toads, migrating birds and nocturnal wildlife. Direct any outdoor lighting downward where it is most needed. By working together, we can preserve and enjoy the nighttime sky!
Have you ever seen the Milky Way and dreamed of traveling to the stars? Remember the fun of staying up on a summer’s night watching and listening to the bats fly above your head? Have you watched meteors streak across the night sky? We invite you to discover these wonders of the dark on a special summer weekend in early August at the Second Annual Northwoods Lights Out! sponsored by The Oneida and Vilas County Land & Water Conservation Departments.
On August 3, you can participate in a BAT WALK and join others interested in the welfare of our bat friends. Meet at Town Line Lake Park just off Hwy K at 8 p.m. in the North (largest) parking lot and learn how we use a tool called the ‘Anabat’ to track the flights and sounds of Northwoods bats. Bring a head lamp or flashlight for this short nighttime walk through the park. No registration is needed for this free program.
Also, during the August 2-4 weekend, step outside, turn off your outdoor lights, find a cozy place with an open view, look up, and watch the sky light up with meteors. Enjoy the dark skies of the Northwoods.
You can help protect our night skies from light pollution. Simply turn off any unnecessary outdoor lights or switch to motion sensor lighting. Use energy-efficient bulbs in warm colors of amber, orange and red that do not confuse insects, frogs, toads, migrating birds and nocturnal wildlife. Direct any outdoor lighting downward where it is most needed. By working together, we can preserve and enjoy the nighttime sky!
Did you know. . .
that 80% of Americans cannot see the Milky Way; 35% of
outdoor light is wasted, costing about 3 billion dollars to literally
be lost to space; and fireflies, hummingbirds, monarch butterflies, and owls are some of the animals most affected by light pollution?
that 80% of Americans cannot see the Milky Way; 35% of
outdoor light is wasted, costing about 3 billion dollars to literally
be lost to space; and fireflies, hummingbirds, monarch butterflies, and owls are some of the animals most affected by light pollution?
During the 2023 Perseid Meteor Event, August 12-13 with Jupiter's reflection on the water. Photo by Michele Sadauskas
Late night photo of the Perseid Meteor event August 12-13, 2023. Photo by Michele Sadauskas
Artificial light can interrupt natural body rhythms in both humans and animals. An increased amount of light at night can lower melatonin production resulting in sleep deprivation, fatigue, headaches, stress, anxiety and other problems. Studies also show that light pollution can influence animal behaviors like migration patterns, wake-sleep habits, and habitat formation. Because of light pollution, sea turtles and birds guided by moonlight can become confused, lose their way, and die.
You Can Preserve the Northwoods Night Sky
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Light pollution is just one of the many reasons our insects are on the decline. You can read more about it at this link:
https://www.oclw.org/insect-decline.html. Unless otherwise stated, all photos displayed on this page were taken by Michele Sadauskas, County Conservationist.
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What do you see
when you look up at the night sky?
Willow Flowage shortly after moonset
Watch the Fireflies
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Firefly Conservation
https://www.xerces.org/node/819 When was the last time you
went out to enjoy the fireflies? |
Don't Dim the Light of the Stars
On Friday, June 3, 2022, "Don't Dim the Light of the Stars: The Negative Effects of Light Pollution, was presented by Mary Beth Kiczenski, Noted Nighttime Photographer.
Link to the International Dark Sky Association website below for tips and hints to reduce light pollution in your neighborhood.
A PDF of the presentation only is just below on the green button "PRESENTATION".
Link to the International Dark Sky Association website below for tips and hints to reduce light pollution in your neighborhood.
A PDF of the presentation only is just below on the green button "PRESENTATION".
In addition to the presentation, Mary Beth presented at the North Central Land and Water Conservation Association Spring Meeting. The entire meeting is on YouTube at the following location. (https://youtu.be/NncUwvxDVnE) If you just want to watch and listen to Mary Beth's presentation, start the video at the 2:40:00 mark with an introduction from Michele Sadauskas, Oneida County Conservationist and Baerbel Ehrig, Oneida County Lakeshore Restoration Specialist & Pollinator Coordinator.
Bats and Lighting
Light pollution has been a pretty hot topic for bat research in Europe for some time. Some of the effects appear to be from intensity of light rather than color. Read about light intensity by clicking on the "Intensity of Light" button below.
A study used a before-and-after design where they set up acoustic detectors on the lamp posts for a week prior to replacement and then a week after replacement of the bulbs. Check it out and click on the "Study" button below.
In addition, below is a "Paper" on the effects of light color on bat activity. It mentions how they also measured insect activity, which is a great idea. There are some species like big brown and eastern red bats that will regularly feed on insects (particularly Lepidopteran) near certain streetlights while there are other species like little brown bats who steer clear of these lit-up environments.
A study used a before-and-after design where they set up acoustic detectors on the lamp posts for a week prior to replacement and then a week after replacement of the bulbs. Check it out and click on the "Study" button below.
In addition, below is a "Paper" on the effects of light color on bat activity. It mentions how they also measured insect activity, which is a great idea. There are some species like big brown and eastern red bats that will regularly feed on insects (particularly Lepidopteran) near certain streetlights while there are other species like little brown bats who steer clear of these lit-up environments.
Be Aware of Your Outdoor Lighting
Insect populations, a primary source of food for birds and other animals are drawn to artificial lights and instantly killed upon contact.
Safety-related dangers that come with poor visibility at night are caused by glaring lights or bad lighting design, which allows artificial light to shine outward and upward into the sky, where it is wasted instead of focusing light downward, where it does the most good. There are simple measures we can take to make our use of nighttime lighting most effective.
Safety-related dangers that come with poor visibility at night are caused by glaring lights or bad lighting design, which allows artificial light to shine outward and upward into the sky, where it is wasted instead of focusing light downward, where it does the most good. There are simple measures we can take to make our use of nighttime lighting most effective.
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For a larger view,
click on the picture above. |
Resources:
Read more about our dark skies or follow the blog from local author, stargazer and dark sky advocate, Ted Rulseh, the Lake Guy at the following link: https://www.thelakeguy.net/darkness-at-night-what-a-concept-the-case-against-dusk-to-dawn-outdoor-lighting/