Dark Skies
Key to a healthy natural world
Just as the dark helps us get a good night’s sleep, birds and other animals also need Dark Skies to find protection from predators, rest properly and renew their energy. Nocturnal and some migratory birds travel and thrive in darkness. Too much light can confuse, disorient and exhaust them.
Artificial lighting in natural areas will disrupt the natural rhythms of birds, wild animals and even plants. It is also negatively affects many insects, and declining insect populations mean declining food for other species and declining means of pollination.
The City of Leduc and LEAB support the value of light efficiency and Dark Skies. LEAB is promoting the benefit of Dark Skies on behalf of the many birds and animals in our area.
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>> Good for People
>> Lighting Tips and Safety
Dark Sky benefits
Research clearly shows that Dark Skies benefit every living thing from birds and animals to people and plants.
- Dark Skies enhance the quality of sleep for all creatures.
- Dark Skies are a natural part of the daily light and dark cycle that helps all creatures keep self-sustaining behaviours in a healthy rhythm.
- Some studies suggest the absence of Dark Skies at night increases human risk of obesity, sleep disorders, depression, diabetes, breast cancer and more.
- For millennia, our ancestors experienced night skies that inspired science, religion, philosophy, art and literature. Protecting our Dark Skies will continue this age-old tradition of connecting with a night sky full of stars, constellations, the Milky Way and other night wonders.