In this episode, my guest is Stephen Hummel. Stephen is the Dark Skies Initiative Coordinator with the University of Texas' McDonald Observatory. Stephen works with communities, oil and gas companies, parks, governments, and other organizations in far western Texas to adopt better lighting practices and reduce light pollution. Stephen is committee chair for the Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve, the largest certified Dark Sky Place in the world. In his spare time, Stephen is an award-winning photographer of the night sky and has been featured by National Geographic, NASA, Smithsonian Magazine, and more. Thank you, Stephen, for all you do!

Please follow these links for great learning resources...

McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis, Texas

Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve

Dark Sky International | Protecting the night skies

Example of birds affected by artificial light at night outside of the migration period:

Pre-migration artificial light at night advances the spring migration timing

Another good resource on birds and light pollution:

BirdCast - Bird migration forecasts in real-time

Intro audio: Swainson's Warblers and American Crows. Smithgall Woods, Georgia.
(Audio by Mathew G. Radford)
Exit audio: Kentucky Warblers. Lake Bixhoma, Oklahoma.
(Audio by Mathew G. Radford)

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