Limit of 4 tickets per purchaser
ALL TICKET SALES ARE FINAL

PRESENTED BY Snowmass Capitol Creek Caucus and Wildsky Old Snowmass

ABOUT Stars and Stripes: Preserving the Dark of Night with Dr. Jeffrey Hall

Genre – Q+A

The topic of light pollution is little known to many yet is incredibly important and connected to other issues of how we care for our planet. While a need to conquer the darkness with artificial light might be a natural impulse in one way, the need to commune with the night sky is even more fundamental ~ from the exhilaration of connecting with the sanctity of the star-filled sky and beyond to preserving the balance of the life cycles of diverse fauna including birds, insects, sea life … and humans.

Please join us for an informative evening starting with a few words by local-born National Geographic photographer and adventurer Pete McBride who will introduce our guest speaker Dr. Jeffrey Hall. Dr. Hall is the Executive Director of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona and will share with us Lowell’s ongoing legacy of cutting-edge research of our solar system and beyond using the Lowell Discovery Telescope ~ and how that research began to be challenged by the quiet, steady invasion of light pollution. As a result, Dr. Hall worked extensively on dark sky preservation in Flagstaff and throughout Arizona; his dedication resulted in Flagstaff becoming the World’s First International Dark Sky City in 2001. 

This program is a free event sponsored by the Snowmass Capitol Creek Caucus in partnership with TACAW to champion our quest to become the first certified International Dark Sky Community in the Roaring Fork Valley, advocating for awareness and action valley-wide to reduce local light pollution.

About Dr. Jeffrey Hall

Dr. Jeffrey Hall received a B.A. in Physics in 1986 from Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. in Astronomy & Astrophysics in 1991 from the Pennsylvania State University. He joined the staff of Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona in 1992 as a postdoctoral research fellow, specializing in stellar astrophysics and the variations of the Sun and sun-like stars. In 1998, he became the Observatory’s Associate Director for Education and Special Programs, and since 2010, has served as Executive Director. In 2015, the Observatory completed construction and commissioning of the $53M Lowell Discovery Telescope (LDT); and in 2023, the Observatory completed a $53M capital campaign to build the Kemper and Ethel Marley Foundation Astronomy Discovery Center (ADC), scheduled to open in late 2024. In the past dozen years, Lowell has received well over $100M through University partnerships for access to the LDT; through foundation, corporate, and individual gifts in support of the ADC; and through philanthropic contributions to many other programs.

Since 2012, Dr. Hall has worked extensively on dark sky preservation in Flagstaff and around Arizona, focusing in particular on best practice in outdoor lighting using LEDs. From 2017 to 2022, he served as Chair of the Society’s standing committee on Light Pollution, Radio Interference, and Space Debris. He also co-organized the international SATCON1 (2020) and SATCON2 (2021) workshops, which brought astronomers, engineers, industry, and many others together to discuss the impacts of satellite constellations on astronomy and on casual observation of the night sky.

About Pete McBride

Pete McBride, born and raised in Old Snowmass, has spent two decades studying the world with a camera. A self-taught photographer, filmmaker, writer and public speaker, he has traveled on assignment to over 75 countries for the National Geographic Society, Smithsonian, Google, The Nature Conversancy and spoken on stages for TEDx, The World Economic Forum, USAID, Nat Geo Live and more.

About Snowmass Capitol Creek Caucus:

Established in 1974 by visionary residents, we are a non-profit neighborhood organization. Our mission is to preserve the rural character of our unique valleys, to protect their ecosystems, and to foster communication and participation within our community. The Caucus advises the Pitkin County Commissioners on issues related to the County. Pitkin County refers Caucus-area land use issues to the Caucus board for its advice.

We have effectively pursued projects to protect healthy stream flows in our creeks and advocate for the health of our wildlife communities and the wild sky overhead.

About WildSky Old Snowmass:

Our mission is to preserve and protect Old Snowmass’ nighttime environment and heritage of dark skies by raising awareness, providing education and information about light pollution and advocating for environmentally responsible outdoor lighting.

DETAILS

• SHOW @ 7:00 pm / DOORS @ 6:00 pm
• Seated Show / All Ages
• ALL TICKET SALES ARE FINAL
• Location: TACAW, 400 Robinson St, Basalt, CO 81621

Presented By: TACAW