2012-09-21-Spotlight to shine on Light Pollution

Okotoks Western Wheel • Wednesday November 21, 2012 • 9
Spotlight shines on light pollution
Foothills: MD’s Dark Sky bylaw approved three years ago
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By Don Patterson
Staff Reporter
The director of a Foothills
observatory can live with
the full moon and cloudy
skies, but he wants to shed
some light on pollution
impacting the University of
Calgary facility.
Rothney Astrophysical
Observatory director Phil
Langill said there has no t
been an improvement in the
amount of light pollution in
the area since the MD of
Foothills council approved
the Dark Sky bylaw three
years ago.
However, he s aid he is
worried about the impact
future development will
have on the facility.
The observatory has
installed equipment to
monitor the amount of light
in the night sky.
See Dark Sky
on page 14
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Rothney Astrophysical Observatory director Phil Langill stands by one of the facility’s telescopes. He wants to raise awareness about light pollution in the MD of Foothills and its
impact on the facility.
Christmas, continued from page 8
Residents will ha ve the
opportunity to tour the community on horse-drawn wagons, warm up at fire pits
around town and children
can have their picture taken
with Santa Claus in t he
municipal building and pet
his reindeer.
Members of the Black
Diamond Gospel Church
will sing Christmas carols
around town and Eastern
Slopes Veterinary Clinic will
have pet photos with Santa.
The Sheep River InterMunicipal Library in Turner
Valley is hosting a variety of
activities on Dec. 1 including
photos with Mr. and Mrs.
Claus from about 1:30 p .m.
to 3:30 p.m., a children’s craft
table, wagon rides, a complimentary daycare for children
while parents shop at the
market, face painting, glitter
tattoos, a b ook sale, gingerbread house making (at a
cost of $20 which covers the
cost the gingerbread kit and
supplies), a je welry party
fundraiser for the Foothills
Lions Spray Park and an
information session by the
Foothills
Continuing
Education Council.
“It’s a b usy day,” said
library manager Jan Burney.
“We had about seven differ-
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ent things happening last
year and it worked really
well so we decided t o do i t
again. For the most part the
library functions as a bit of a
hub in t he community now
so the more community
things happening here the
better.”
For more information go
to www.turnervalley.ca and
www.town.blackdiamond.ab.
ca.
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