First International Dark Sky Reserve Is Announced in Québec!

Tucson, AZ, Sept. 21, 2007 — The International Dark-Sky Association  
(IDA) awarded its first International Dark Sky Reserve (IDSR)  
designation to the regional county municipalities of Granit and Haut- 
Saint-François and of the City of Sherbrooke, an area of 5,500 km?  
in Québec Province, Canada. The presentation was made during a press  
conference on September 20th at Mont-Mégantic National Park, in the  
heart of the new reserve.

The vice president of IDA's board of directors, Christian Monrad,  
presented certification to Bernard Malenfant, president of ASTROLab  
of Mont-Mégantic; Pierre Goulet, director of Mont-Mégantic National  
Park; Robert Lamontagne, director of the Mont-Mégantic Observatory;  
Joseph Hubert, research vice-rector of the University of Montreal;  
Maurcie Bernier, prefect of the regional county municipality of  
Granit, Quebec; Martin Mailhot, substitute prefect of the regional  
county municipality of Haut-Saint-François, Quebec; and Jean  
Perrault, mayor of the City of Sherbrooke, Quebec.

The IDSR will preserve night sky quality and ensure the  
sustainability of education and research activities at the Mont- 
Mégantic Observatory, the most important astronomy and astrophysics  
research center in Canada. Moreover, the IDSR will heighten tourist  
activities at the ASTROLab of Mont-Mégantic National Park while  
enhancing the beauty of nightscapes for everyone.

The IDA defines an International Dark Sky Reserve as a public or  
private land possessing an exceptional or great quality of starry  
nights and nocturnal environment that is specifically protected for  
its scientific, natural, educational, cultural, heritage and/or  
public enjoyment mission on a large peripheral area. The Dark Sky  
Reserve consists of a core area meeting the minimum criteria for sky  
quality and natural darkness, and a peripheral area that supports  
dark sky values in the core and benefits from them, as well. The Dark  
Sky Reserve is formed through a partnership of multiple land owners/ 
administrators that have recognized the value of the starry night  
through regulation and/or formal agreement and/or long term planning.

The process that led to IDSR approval contributed to the development  
of a new regional expertise in outdoor lighting management. As a  
result, the reserve's 34 municipalities developed outdoor lighting  
regulations that have contributed to the control and limited growth  
of area light pollution, which had doubled over the past 20 years.  
Additionally, approximately 2500 lighting fixtures were replaced,  
resulting in a 25% reduction of area light pollution and a 1.3  
gigawatt-hours per year savings in energy consumption. The project  
could become a model for many industrialised countries seeking  
compromise between outdoor lighting needs and general concerns about  
energy efficiency and nightscape preservation.

The International Dark-Sky Association, an educational, environmental  
nonprofit, is dedicated to protecting and preserving the nighttime  
environment and our heritage of dark skies through quality outdoor  
lighting. With over 11,000 members in more than 70 countries, IDA is  
the leading authority concerning the problems and solutions related  
to light pollution.

Contact:

Lee Karalis

International Dark-Sky Association

520-293-3198

editor@darksky.org

Chloé Legris
ASTROLab of Mont-Mégantic
819-888-2941 ext. 228
pollution.lumineuse@astrolab.qc.ca