113 SHARES

By Marie Orttenburger

There’s yet another natural resource we’re squandering, but the fix is easy.

Just turn off the lights.

We don’t really think of the night sky as a natural resource, maybe because we don’t see it as much more than an aesthetic pleasure — if we see it at all. But the truth is, a dark night sky plays much more of a role in the natural world than we credit it for, and light pollution interferes with that role.

Thanks to the work of some people in Michigan’s Emmet County, night sky preservation is a state priority.

And fairy tales have played a role in making that so.

In this podcast, Marie Orttenburger speaks to some of the key actors behind The Headlands International Dark Sky Park in Mackinaw City, Michigan.

The music in this podcast was written by Steven Michael Holmes.