The Good, The Bad, and The Illegal
Here are some of the Projects being pursued by volunteer members of SA-IDA:
In Progress... For more information sent Email to: ask @ sa-ida.org (do not include the spaces)
- Initiate Sustainable Lighting Committee. U of A, IES, SA-IDA (start Sept 2004)
- Develop a proposal to obtain funds to evaluate current light pollution and its effects on energy usage and public safety on campus and to develop recommendations for solutions and dissemination materials for educational purposes.
- Initiate Distribution of Dark Sky Literature by our Local Astronomy Stores (start Nov. 03)
- Put together Dark Skies/Light Pollution information packets and distribute to local astronomy stores to include in their mail orders and hand out at store to customers. There are three major stores in the Tucson area. Byron and Joe coordinating
- Develop and Print Light Pollution Handouts for Children to have at various Events and Fairs
- Design stickers, coloring book pages, etc. for children's level to be used as hand out materials at various fairs and Dark Sky educational events. "Light Pollution Catcher" game completed (see Resources). Joe coordinating.
- Investigate the Costs and Feasibility of Selling Dark Sky License Plate Frames and Front Vanity Plates
- Coordinate with IDA to see if feasible and profitable to come up with a design for a license plate frame for the rear plate and front vanity plates (for people who are not required to have front plates) and possibly bumper stickers. This is mostly for advertising purposes of the Dark Sky organization but hopefully would contribute a little to the treasury as well.
- Design and Build 5 prototype Light Pollution Meters and develop calibration techniques
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Design and build five Light Pollution Meters to measure Sky Brightness and Light Pollution. Goal is to design a circuit and apparatus that is simple, cheap to build, and easy to calibrate. Five prototype assemblies have been built and are being loaned out for testing and use. Project by Avery Davis (Details)
- Develop and Publish News articles for local Tucson Newspapers - Especially Three Points area of Tucson
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Write and get several articles published in area newspapers to educate residents on good lighting practices. Many glare bomb type lights are being installed and need to be addressed. Brian Smith coordinator.
- Assist with Updating the Cataloging of illegally lit Billboards in Pima County
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Mark Mayer wants to finish cataloging the illegally lit billboards in Pima County and needs volunteers to help drive him around to complete this work. There may be about 300 such billboards.
- Present another "Excellence in Outdoor Lighting Award - ongoing
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Review possible sites/businesses and select a good example of reducing light pollution by changing outdoor lighting. John Polacheck coordinator.
- Develop a Public Service Announcement for "Let's Talk Stars" radio Talk Show
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Develop a couple short (10- 30 seconds) public service announcements for SA-IDA to be aired on "Lets talk Stars" radio show, hosted by David H. Levy, promoted by Dean Koenig. (www.letstalkstars.com) . Josie coordinator
Design and get approval to distribute an ARIZONA Dark Skies Organizational license plate -on hold
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Starizona (Dean Koenig) designed a wonderful license plate and the application has been submitted to the state for approval. If approved, plates can be purchased for an additional $25 per year, Dark Skies (IDA) will receive $17 per year of the fee. The plates will provide great advertising and provide money for the Arizona Sections to promote good lighting. Joe coordinating. see Plate Design
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- Completed Projects...
- Develop and Produce a Southern Arizona Specific "Dark Skies" Presentation Photo Story/Video (completed Oct. 6, 2003)
Encourage school children to consider doing science projects (SARSEF) involving light pollution subjects and set up a program to award prizes including cash for the best projects (Cash prizes of $100, $50, $25 plus gifts from local astronomy stores). Possibly coordinate with Project Astro. SARSEF Judging to be March 18, 2003 -See Awards page for awards given.
Set up a telescope(s) with sun filter for kids to view the sun (Jack Tepper & John Polacheck) and hand out literature about the need for good outdoor lighting to be able to view the stars. Scott Davis coordinator. (Details)
This Web site is being implemented to provide more information to the community and interested parties about the activities and accomplishments of SA-IDA. Suggestions for improvement are welcome. Send a note to the webmaster (address at the bottom of each page).
(A tri-fold brochure to be used for handouts at various locations and meetings to explain the basics of light pollution and what can be done to modify existing poor outdoor lighting and guidelines to select good lights for new outdoor lighting. The second draft has been printed and is available for distribution as requested. Joe Frannea coordinating. (Brochure)
The current form needs new wording and contact information updated. The form is used to file a request for light pollution problems (glare, light trespass, sky glow) to be reported for investigation. (see Resources page for Complaint form) Chris Monrad & Joe Frannea
Set up a display and hand out information for discussion with students. Scott Davis IDA coordinator.