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Three local organizations recently received grants from the Hill Country Alliance’s Night Sky Preservation Fund, as the region steps up efforts to protect its starry skies from light pollution.
The City of Wimberley Parks and Recreation Department will use its grant to establish sky quality monitoring at Blue Hole Regional Park, alongside community education and outreach efforts. Hays County Friends of the Night Sky will expand its monitoring network and develop portable lighting demonstration kits that will rotate through county libraries, schools, and civic buildings. Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky will focus on expanding night sky awareness through multimedia outreach.
The grants are part of the Hill Country Alliance’s second annual Night Sky Preservation Fund, which this year selected 14 organizations and projects spanning 11 Hill Country counties - up from nine organizations supported in the fund’s inaugural year.
Funding comes from the Coypu Foundation and individual donors across the region. The program supports nonprofits, local governments, and small businesses working to reduce light pollution, which affects not only stargazing but also wildlife, migratory bird pathways, energy consumption, and human health.
”The Night Sky Preservation Fund’s second year reflects a commitment shared by the Hill Country Alliance, partners, and communities across the Hill Country to protect our night skies and celebrate them as part of our region’s heritage,” said Katherine Romans, the alliance’s executive director.
Applications for the fund were accepted during last October’s annual Hill Country Night Sky Month. Other recipients included:
• Camp Riverview, which will implement sky quality monitoring, modeling night sky stewardship, and supporting regionwide data collection
• Comal County Friends of the Night Sky, which will expand upon and enhance their existing sky quality monitoring network
• Friends of Guadalupe River/Honey Creek, Inc., which will improve on non-compliant street and parking lot lighting through fixture retrofits, supporting their applications for International Urban Night Sky Place designations
• Friends of Lost Maples, which will establish sky quality monitoring throughout the park in support of their application for a designation as an International Dark Sky Park
• Friends of San Antonio Natural Areas, which will advance education and outreach through the development of Dark Sky Adventure Kits that will be made available for checkout through the local public library system
• Jonestown Night Sky Advocacy, which will expand upon its existing sky quality monitoring network to continue supporting its International Dark Sky Community designation and regionwide data collection
• Keep it Real Beautiful, Friends of the Night Sky, which will implement sky quality monitoring, model night sky stewardship, and support regionwide data collection
• Kendall County, which will establish sky quality monitoring in support of their application for countywide designation as an International Dark Sky Community
• Smithwick Mill Estates Property Owners Association, which will advance night sky preservation education and outreach to its residents and local commercial enterprises
• Travis County Parks Foundation, which will improve non-compliant lighting with fixture retrofits at the Bee Creek Sports Complex in support of their application to be certified as part of DarkSky International’s Dark Sky Friendly Sports Lighting program
• Vision Lampasas, will provide night sky preservation outreach and education, resources, and networking opportunities through their annual Stars at Night Event.
More information about the Hill Country Alliance and the Night Sky Preservation Fund is available at hillcountryalliance.org.
