Gina Harder remembers exactly when she realized the power of the night sky.

Harder, a former Leelanau Township trustee, was building her home in Omena about 10 years ago. Construction projects such as this are stressful, with budgets, timelines and materials becoming an all-consuming focus.

But a funny – and supremely comforting – thing happened during this process.

“I was coming and checking it out all the time, so there I was spending the night sitting out on this platform looking up into the sky, and there were so many stars. It was just unbelievable and awe-inspiring. I thought: Am I in heaven?” she tells The Ticker. “All of the worries about building and being behind and everything in my life became so small.”

Harder is a member of Leelanau Dark Sky, itself a chapter of Leelanau Energy (a nonprofit focused primarily on advocating for the adoption of renewable energy sources throughout Leelanau Peninsula). The group has worked tirelessly to protect Leelanau's skies, which are among the darkest around. 

Leelanau Dark Sky has ties to the larger international dark sky movement, which aims to reduce light pollution by encouraging home and businesses owners, municipalities, utilities and other entities to use light in a responsible and appropriate manner.

“We’re not just asking for people to turn their lights off, that’s not the concept,” Dr. Jerry Dobek, head of the science and astronomy departments at Northwestern Michigan College, tells The Ticker. “It’s about using the right amount of light and controlling that light so it’s shining down on the ground where it’s intended to go in the first place, instead of sideways or up in the air.”

Dobek played a part in founding the international dark sky organization more than 30 years ago and has been a strong local advocate for lighting ordinances and other measures that help control light pollution.

Dobek and others connected to the movement say it’s not just about being able to see the stars. Efforts to control lighting can save tremendous amounts of energy and create safer situations by reducing glare and improving visibility on the ground. Better use of lighting also benefits a wide range of nocturnal animals and more.

Since its founding in 2018, Leelanau Dark Sky has engaged in a variety of initiatives toward the goal of reducing light pollution. In addition to almost 40 presentations and gatherings, they’ve directly lobbied municipalities to update or create ordinances that specifically address lighting and/or to install appropriate lighting.

They’ve also raised money for and then donated dark sky-friendly lights, including those installed at Deeps Corner Store in Northport, the Leelanau Township Fire Hall and at almost 20 spots along Nagonaba Street in Northport.

Consumers Energy has been in the process of replacing older, sodium-vapor based streetlights in and around Northport with new LED models. While these are substantially more energy efficient, the dark sky group is not happy with them because they shine light outward. 

Northport Village Manager Jered Ottenwess tells The Ticker he’s heard repeatedly from dark sky advocates and has been in ongoing conversations with Consumers Energy regarding these lights and what might be done to mitigate light pollution.

“We want to know…what other technologies are available that we might not be aware of aside from just shielding. And when it comes to shielding, what kind of shielding can we use?” he says. “We want to explore the options and know exactly what Consumers has available.”

Meanwhile, Leelanau Dark Sky will host a presentation on limiting light pollution on Wednesday, Aug. 20 at 7:30 p.m. at The Faerie House in Northport (11660 N. Seven Pines Road, near Woolsey Airport). They will give away free dark-sky friendly light bulbs to the first 30 people to arrive and educate home and business owners about what they can do.