On October 5th the Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a Resolution, submitted by Dranesville Supervisor John Foust, lending the County’s support to its Park Authority’s recent application for certification of the Great Falls Observatory Park as an Urban Night Sky Place (UNSP). The application is submitted to the International Dark Sky Association (IDA). 

If approved by the IDA, the Observatory Park would become only the fifth such UNSP world-wide. GFCA previously submitted its letter of support for this global initiative that helps educate the public on efforts to minimize harm to the natural nighttime environment. Light pollution prevents community members from observing phenomena of the night sky, such as the Milky Way, planets and their moons, and meteor showers. Too-bright or carelessly aimed artificial lights also harm the natural world by changing foraging routes and migration navigation for birds, bats, and insects, leading many creatures to a premature death. Too much of the wrong kind of light at night also interferes with circadian rhythms, which causes fatigue, stress, obesity, high blood pressure, and many other maladies. 

The proposed designation, along with an additional proposal initiated by GFCA to amend the Zoning Ordinance to adopt a Dark-sky Preserve around the Observatory are two key actions currently underway in support of preserving our community’s night skies and protecting the continued viability of the County’s only astral observatory. A zoning amendment would place restrictions around the Observatory Park and would become part of the binding Zoning Ordinance of Fairfax County.