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Next CAS Meeting
April 2, 2025
McCormick Observatory at 7 PM -
Dark Skies Piedmont
Working to Raise Awareness about Light Pollution
Christine Putnam, Carol Carter, Peggy Cornett -
ABSTRACT: The Dark Skies Piedmont group will talk about who they are, what they have been doing, and how CAS can help. Light pollution is causing our nights to become brighter every year. The disappearing darkness not only limits our view of the stars, but it also has serious implications for the health of all living things. For billions of years, all biological processes evolved with the Earth’s predictable rhythm of night and day. It is encoded in our DNA. Lighting the night disrupts this cycle. Excessive outdoor lighting is disorienting and often fatal for migrating birds, nocturnal flying insects and baby sea turtles. The good news is light pollution is a fixable problem. The Dark Skies group has worked on local Dark Sky proclamations, provided talks, and connected with other advocates across Virginia to push for stronger lighting ordinances and enforcement.
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CV: Christine Hirsh-Putnam is a retired middle school science teacher with a BS in Chemistry and Environmental Science. She currently serves on the Albemarle County Natural Heritage Committee and two other County advisory boards focused on environmental stewardship. Christine is a master naturalist and master gardener. Her interest in protecting the night sky was sparked on a school trip to an island in the middle of Chesapeake Bay. Since then, she has learned much more about the disruptive effects of light pollution on all the creatures which inhabit our planet. Carol Carter attended the UVA School of Nursing and the Darden Graduate School of Business. She has served on the boards of the Virginia Conservation Network and the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont and currently serves on the local Virginia Native Plant Society and the Piedmont Environmental Council. Trees, native plants, ecosystem restoration, invasive species management, and local food are her current horticultural interests. Peggy Cornett has worked at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello since 1983 as the associate director of gardens and grounds and as curator of plants. She earned degrees in English and Botany from UNC-Chapel Hill and a master’s from the University of Delaware. She is an honorary member of the Garden Club of Virginia. Peggy served on the Albemarle County Natural Heritage Committee and as secretary of the bird club for about twenty years.
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