How Stars and Nature Guide Us Through Change 

Places like the Swaner Preserve have become increasingly rare. Behind a shopping plaza with diverse restaurants, boutiques, and condos, there lies a 1,200-acre piece of permanently protected open space. It starkly contrasts the life around its border—a slower, swaying, reflective life. It reminds us that in this day and age, it takes persistent effort to protect the natural areas that are important to us.

Swaner provides a unique connection to the natural world, a portal located right at the interface between urban and wild space. It's a reminder of the constant change taking place on the land. The Indigenous tribes of the Shoshone, Goshute, and Ute once passed through this area to rest, hunt, and collect resources. Animals find refuge in the precious wetland soil and shade. The life on the preserve has always moved in a cyclical pattern: thick snow blanketing the landscape in the winter, snowmelt braiding through the willows in the spring, pops of indigo and yellow dispersed through the grass in the hot summer months, and, in the fall, becoming a topography of sienna and seeds, ready for the pattern of the seasons to start over.

We are lucky to see this cycle happen here and in our surroundings in Park City. The changing seasons are a sustained comfort and beauty that we can look forward to throughout the year. Like this cycle, the night sky also signals an abiding change: a new pattern slowly changing until we realize we are looking at a completely new pattern of stars.

However, unlike our accessibility to the Swaner Preserve, the sense of awe the night sky can give us is often overlooked. Since industrialization, much of the world has lost our clear perspective of the dark starlit canvas and instead have become a palette of skyglow and haze. Increased use of artificial light at night obstructs our view of stars, the Milky Way, and other celestial objects. According to DarkSky International, ninety-nine percent of the United States and European public don't experience a naturally dark sky.

Why is it important to see a clear, dark sky, anyway? If we use GPS for navigation, if we flock indoors when it becomes frosty and bitter outside, if we need artificial light to see our books and our loved ones, why does it matter?

There are the harder facts, which involve human and ecological health. Artificial light at night can disrupt our sleep patterns, resulting in decreased melatonin production, potentially leading to sleep deprivation and other health issues. Animals, too, are affected by light pollution. Migrating birds, bats, and other nocturnal animals that depend on the darkness can be disoriented by light from cities and towns, causing injury or death.

We have also lost our inherent connection to the night sky. Humans have been intertwined with darkness and the ornamentation of stars for as long as we have been around. In many cultures, the stars have been a fundamental component of stories and legends.

On the bright (or maybe "dark" side in these terms), much like how our community came together to preserve the essential wetlands of Swaner, acting as catalysts for positive change, we have the power to protect dark skies. Whether through choosing dark-sky-friendly lighting, learning and sharing with others, or taking action in your community, becoming a dark-sky steward makes a big difference in eliminating light pollution.

The dark sky also serves as a reminder of the stability of change. Like the Swaner Preserve, it shows us that a constant pattern is ever-so-slowly shifting throughout the seasons. We, too, are changing. Whether a move across the country, a relationship that has ended, or a new school year, change is inevitable. Even with more minor changes, we can look back with certainty at how our lives have transformed. Though change can seem daunting and overwhelming at times, having physical reminders of the nature of change can serve as a reminder that it happens to us all: plants, animals, and stars alike.

Visit darksky.org for more information about how to get your community dark sky designated or to learn more about light pollution mitigation. 

Graphic by International Dark Sky Association 

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