Restoring the Night Sky—Assessment, Training, and Outreach (E&D)
Implementing Organization
US Department of the Interior
Overview
DWH Project Funding
$486,639
Known Leveraged Funding
$0
Funding Organization
Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees (NRDA)
Funding Program
Natural Resource Damage Assessment NRDA
Details
Project Category
Science
Project Actions
Monitoring and Observations
Targeted Resources
Other
Project Description
This project will assess light pollution at the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge (BSNWR) and recommend mitigation strategies. This is Phase I of a larger effort. Phase II, if or when it happens, will involve replacing and retrofitting actual light fixtures and improving lighting practices in the towns and cities north of the coastal habitat, thus lessening light pollution. The project is currently assessing skyglow, illuminance, and spectral composition of the artificial lights coming from the towns and cities; four field trips have occurred to date. It will also determine the exact location and type of the brightest, most polluting lights. These metrics are collected in a variety of ways, including collecting all-sky imagery, spectrometer imagery, satellite imagery, plane-mounted DSLR imagery, and conducting street-level inventories. The project area could be as wide as Pascagoula in the west to Destin in the east and Mobile and Pensacola in the north to Gulf Shores and Pensacola Beach in the south. A final report will describe the assessment results and provide a prioritized list of lights to replace and retrofit in order to reduce skyglow, illuminance, and unfavorable light spectra at BSNWR. The report will also address the economic advantages of replacing and retrofitting lights and indicate potential costs for Phase II. The entire project should take 3-4 years and findings will be combined with an identical project taking place concurrently -- but funded separately -- at Gulf Islands National Seashore in Florida.
Contact
Nanciann Regalado(678) 296-6805
nanciann_regalado@fws.gov
Project Website
None
For official trustee information regarding the Deepwater Horizon NRDA, including information regarding the NRDA process and the status of projects, see https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/