County’s ‘Dark Sky’ plan receives funding boost

DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas — Kendall County’s effort to approach status as an International Dark Sky Community received a boost this week, when the Hill Country Alliance rewarded the effort as part of its Night Sky Preservation Fund.

The HCA on Jan. 21 named the 14 recipients in its second annual Night Sky Preservation Fund, courtesy of the Coypu Foundation and individual night sky advocates across the region. The organization selected 14 organizations in 11 counties from among 24 applications.

With its funding, Kendall County will establish sky quality monitoring in support of its application for countywide designation as an International Dark Sky Community.

According to the HCA, all of the selected projects “will improve regional night sky quality by enhancing outdoor lighting, educating in communities about the benefits of night sky preservation, and measuring changes in sky quality across the Hill Country over time.”

The Night Sky Preservation Fund supports regional nonprofit organizations, local governments and small businesses working to protect the Hill Country’s starry night skies. HCA invited applications during last October’s annual Hill Country Night Sky Month.

Other area recipients include:

• Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky, looking to expand night sky preservation awareness through targeted multi- media engagement.

• Camp Riverview, in Concan, will implement sky quality monitoring, modeling night sky stewardship, and supporting regionwide data collection.

• Friends of Guadalupe River/Honey Creek, Inc., 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 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 wants to 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.

• Keep it Real Beautiful, Friends of the Night Sky, will implement sky quality monitoring, model night sky stewardship, and support regionwide data collection “We are proud to support these projects and grateful to every organization that applied to the fund this year,” said Katherine Romans, HCA executive director. “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.”

Many funding opportunities exist across the state for land and water conservation, but fewer are the number dedicated to addressing light pollution and its impacts. The Night Sky Preservation Fund helps fill this gap by supporting projects that safeguard dark skies and, with continued support from organizations and individual donors, will remain an ongoing resource for communities across the region.