The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) has awarded Spruce Woods Provincial Park with the province’s first-ever dark-sky preserve designation.
Environment, Climate, and Parks Minister Jeff Wharton made the announcement. The province is excited that Spruce Woods, which is known for its beautiful night sky environment, is receiving attention from RASC.
Dark-sky preserves are sites that have incredible night-sky readings, as well as reduce light pollution as much as possible with the guidelines they follow.
"We are excited to see beautiful Spruce Woods Provincial Park become the first provincial site to be designated as a dark-sky preserve, which recognizes its strong commitment to preserving nighttime ecosystems and educating visitors about light pollution," says Wharton. "Our government is happy to celebrate this milestone, and I would like to thank all of the dedicated volunteers who helped secure this designation, which will enhance opportunities for park visitors to experience a natural dark-sky environment."
In areas where the park needs artificial light for safety reasons, the department helped install low wattage, amber-coloured lamps and shields that shine downward.
"RASC’s Dark-Sky Sites program recognizes sites that are working to mitigate the impacts of light pollution through practicing responsible lighting and educating visitors about the importance of dark skies," says Phil Groff, executive director, Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. "Through its designations, the society contributes to the expansion of Canada’s network of protected places and preserves the nocturnal environment and night sky. RASC is delighted to welcome Spruce Woods Provincial Park as our most recent designated Dark-Sky Site. We look forward to working with our partners there in the years ahead to help Canadians have a place to appreciate the night sky."
The designation will be presented on September 4th, which will include moon observing and a laser-guided star tour.
For the full press release from the government of Manitoba, click here.