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Show Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, April 13-16, 2019 B-7 The Park Record No clouds in the forecast – you can just see the Milky Way from here Wilderness north of Reno named dark sky refuge BENJAMIN SPILLMAN Reno Gazette Journal RENO, Nev. (AP) — Computer scientist Chris Schmandt doesn’t visit Nevada for the casinos, but he does appreciate the state’s nightlife. Schmandt of Boston prefers to go beyond the glowing reach of lights in Las Vegas and Reno to relax in the most remote corners of the state. “I’m one of those people who thinks about what the world was like before electricity,” said Schmandt, who noticed Nevada’s dark night skies while poring over satellite images depicting the spread of light pollution across North America. “I was looking for places to go and NASA has a nice composition image of the Earth at night from space,” Schmandt said. “I figured the dark places were places where there weren’t a lot of people. And there is a lot of dark in Nevada.” Soon, people won’t have to search satellite photos to learn about Nevada’s position among the best places for night sky enthusiasts to escape light pollution. That’s because a remote area in the northwest corner of the state is poised to become just the seventh spot on the planet to be designated a Dark Sky Sanctuary. The designation for the Massacre Rim area about 150 miles north of Reno will be just the fourth sanctuary of its kind in the United States and the first in Nevada. “I figured the dark places were places where there weren’t a lot of people. And there is a lot of dark in Nevada” Other U.S. dark sky sanctuaries include Cosmic Campground in New Mexico, Rainbow Bridge National Monument in Utah and Devils River-State Natural Area Del Norte in Texas. There are also sanctuaries outside the U.S. in New Zealand and Chile. “This designation literally puts Washoe County on the Dark Sky map,” said Shaaron Netherton, executive director of Friends of Nevada Wilderness, a group that led the charge for the designation. “We are just thrilled that this special place has been recognized for its natural values.” Friends of Nevada Wilderness announced the designation last weekend. The designation shows the International Dark Sky Association, founded in 1988 in Tucson, Ariz., considers the area to have “exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and a nocturnal environment” and should remain protected for scientific, ecological and cultural benefit. Research shows artificial light can disrupt wildlife which depend on natural cycles of light and darkness for everything from hunting to sleeping to migration. Skies unpolluted by artificial light, which are rare throughout much of the world, also provide a glimpse at the way the sky and landscape would have looked to people throughout the majority of humans’ time on the planet. “The sky ruled more of your life than it does now,” Schmandt said. It won’t change any access rules or regulations for Massacre Rim, a designated wilderness study area of 101,000 acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management about 160 miles (257 kilometers) east of Redding, California near the Nevada and Oregon state lines. But it will elevate its profile as a destination for people who want to experience solitude and starlight the way humans would have experienced it before electricity and industrialization. “The sanctuary designation is for places that have extremely dark skies,” said Adam Dalton, the association’s Dark Sky Places program manager. “Sanctuaries not only are dark but are really remote.” BLM spokesman Jeff Fontana said the agency wrote a letter of support for the designation in 2016. To achieve the designation, workers from Friends of Nevada Wilderness had to document the darkness of the sky using objective measurements. The group, which advocates on behalf of wilderness designations in the state, sent workers into the field on several nights in April and July of 2018. They drove around the fringe of the area and hiked into the interior and used light-measuring instruments to capture readings to show how the look of the sky rated on the Bortle Scale, a ninepoint system that measures the visibility of stars and other natural light in the night sky. “It is something magical to drive around the WSA at night,” said Kurt Kuznicki, associate director of Friends who helped take readings. “You start drinking coffee at 10 o’clock at night and drive around listening to the radio.” They documented qualities such as the ability to see distinct features of the Milky Way, entities such as the M33 galaxy and natural starlight bright enough to cause objects to cast shadows. Their findings showed the area ranked at the top of the Bortle Scale and worthy of the Dark Sky Sanctuary designation. Kuznicki said visiting Massacre Rim at night reminded him of hiking into the Golden Trout Wilderness in the Eastern Sierra with his dad in the early 1970s. It was on those trips from Long Beach, where Kuznicki was raised, that he gained an appreciation for escaping light pollution that prevents people in urbanized areas from the primeval experience of a pure night sky. “I would like to see folks appreciate the resource they have in northern Washoe,” Kuznicki said. “Right in our backyard we have these special places and we have the opportunity to protect it right now.” Some of the petS at NuzzleS & Co. lookiNg for love These animals are available to be seen at the Nuzzles & Co. Adoption Center and Rescue Ranch. Our Adoption Center is open Monday through Friday from noon to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is located in the Tanger Outlets in Kimball Junction. Our Rescue Ranch is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed Sunday. The Rescue Ranch is located at 6466 N. Highview Road in Peoa. Arya Rogue Rudy Sage Meet Arya, a 1-year-old Boxer mix! This spunky girl’s going to need a lot of physical and mental activity to keep her happy and feeling great! She loves to play and go on hikes. Arya would do best in a home with older children and can be selective about the people she likes. Rogue is a 4-year-old cattle dog mix. She is a little timid at first but then warms up and is great! She prefers to be an only pet so she can have all of your attention. She will need daily exercise and obedience training to channel her herding breed instincts. Meet Rudy, an adorable 5-yearold pitty with a hippo head. He loves to roll over for belly rubs and is potty trained. Rudy is a big goofball and loves to play, play, play! He does well with other dogs but prefers a home without cats. Sage is a cattle dog mix and is about a year old. She can be a bit shy but really is very sweet! She loves to go on walks and play in the yard, and she does well with other dogs. Sage jumps up for hugs and kisses and loves to cuddle. Emma Gizmo Pistol Annie Sand Emma is a gentle and friendly senior lady who has lots of love to give. This beautiful 9-yearold Domestic Shorthair has a soft black coat and green eyes that are full of wisdom. She is looking for a loving home where she can bask in the sun and relax with her people. Gizmo is a beautiful 8-monthold kitten who has a permanent “boop” on her cute, little nose! She’s a happy and playful girl who loves to explore! Gizmo is looking for a loving forever home where she can spend lots of time snuggling and playing with her family. Pistol Annie is a 5-year-old tortoiseshell who needs a loving family to make her feel safe and boost her confidence. This shy girl has lots of love to give and just needs to find the right person with home to share it. A little TLC will help her sweet personality blossom! Sand is a buff tabby Domestic Shorthair who is about 8 years old. She’s a shy girl, but with a little love and TLC, we know that she will open up and let her beautiful personality shine. She’s a gentle and quiet cat who is just looking for someone to love. WaNted: voluNteerS These Organizations are looking for volunteers. If you would like to include your group in this section, please email information to copyeditor@parkrecord.com. Please limit your entry to no more than 75 words Holy Cross Ministries Holy Cross Ministries has openings for volunteers in both the School Readiness Program (3 to 5-year-olds at St. Mary’s White Pine Canyon, Mondays-Thursdays, 8:15 a.m.-3 p.m.) and in after-school homework help sessions at Parleys Park, Jeremy Ranch and McPolin Elementary programs which run 3-5:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays. School Readiness will benefit from persons willing to read and work at small group centers. Please contact Miriam Garcia (mgarcia@hcmutah.org) for more information on the School Readiness Program. Contact Franz Montalvo (fmontalvo@hcmutah.org) for information on the After-School Program. The Hope Alliance The Hope Alliance is looking for volunteers to process eyeglasses for the vision program. These eyeglasses will be distributed to some of the poorest communities throughout Peru, Guatemala, and other impoverished areas, supporting multiple vision campaigns. Volunteers can work at The Hope Alliance’s Park City office, Monday through Saturday, during office hours. For more information, please call 435-333-3334 or email info@thehopealliance.org. Kimball Art Center The Kimball Art Center seeks dedicated volunteers in a variety of areas at its largest fundraiser of the year, the 49th Annual Park City Kimball Arts Festival on Historic Main Street Friday, Aug. 3 – Sunday, Aug. 5. Volunteers will have the chance to give back to the community while enjoying an environment of art, cuisine and music. For more information about available positions, re- sponsibilities and benefits, please visit our website at ParkCityKimballArtsFestival.org/volunteer or contact volunteers@kimballartcenter.org. Mega Genius Supply Store & IQ HQ Ready to make a difference in the lives of local students? The Mega Genius Supply Store & IQ HQ is looking for a few interested (and interesting) adult volunteers to support students in grades 2-12 with homework at our quirky, free after-school tutoring program. Hours are flexible. Tutoring happens Mon-Thurs after school until 5pm at 435 Swede Alley. Learn more by calling Stacey at 435-655-8252 or emailing ssayers@parkcityinstitute.org. Orientation and training required. Join us in this fun and fulfilling work. Find us on Facebook. The Mega Genius Supply Store & IQ HQ is a project of the Park City Institute. National Ability Center The National Ability Center is seeking volunteers for the Summit Challenge, Utah’s largest ride for cyclists of all abilities, which will take place Saturday, Aug. 27. The Summit Challenge is a fully supported road ride of 16, 52 or 102 miles through the scenic mountains and valleys of Summit and Wasatch counties. To sign up, visit: SummitChallenge100.org/volunteer. Volunteers interested in cycling, bike maintenance, archery, water sports, climbing and more are always needed, Mondays-Saturdays. Email volunteer@discovernac.org to get started. For a full list of volunteer opportunities, visit parkrecord.com/ volunteers |
