Presentation:  Dark Sky Southern Arizona 2.0: The Hits (and Misses) Of Our First Year and How Our Region Can Reclaim Its Leading Role

Light pollution is a longstanding concern in the Tucson area, which in many respects is the home of the global dark-skies movement. After going dormant during the pandemic, the Southern Arizona Chapter of DarkSky International (formerly the International Dark-Sky Association) was rebooted in mid-2023. In this talk, John Barentine will describe the motivations that led the group to restart the chapter along with the progress they have made toward achieving the strategic goals of their first three-year period. He will also give an update on regional light-pollution trends and opportunities that can strengthen this region’s leadership on outdoor lighting issues.

Bio: John Barentine is the Principal Consultant at Dark Sky Consulting, LLC, and was formerly the Director of Public Policy for the International Dark-Sky Association. He earned a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin, and previously held staff positions at the National Solar Observatory, Apache Point Observatory, and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Throughout his career, he has been involved in educating the public about science. He is a member of the American Astronomical Society and the International Astronomical Union, and is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. The asteroid (14505) Barentine is named in his honor. His interests outside of astronomy and light pollution research include history, art and architecture, politics, law and current events.can be found at https://www.astrobin.com/users/astronewbie/