VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – As part of Earth Day 2025, the Barnes County Historical Society in conjunction with the What In The World group Presents: Patrick Sommer (DarkSky International) “The Need for Dark Skies: The Biological Impacts of Light Pollution” 7PM Thursday, April 24th at the Barnes County Museum. (315 Central Ave N. Valley City, ND)

Birds face numerous obstacles from human structures, not least of which is artificial light at night. Combined with buildings themselves, light pollution can prove fatal for migrating birds. The simple act of turning off lights during hours of darkness, of protecting the night from light pollution, can save countless avian lives. Additionally, more human-centric benefits can be found, ranging from avoiding numerous health problems of our own, to lower utility bills and decreased greenhouse gas emissions from reduced electricity generation.”

Patrick Sommer lives in Fargo and works full-time for the North Dakota Air National Guard. His mission locally for the IDA is to raise awareness about light pollution, its hazardous effects on our ecosystem including animal and human health, the loss of our human connections to the night sky, and to educate the public on mitigation steps they can take to make a difference.  Long term, he would like to help guide communities in our region to enact night sky-friendly lighting ordinances, and eventually establish a Dark Sky Place, the different types of which can be found here: https://www.darksky.org/our-work/conservation/idsp/

All Lectures are at the Barnes County Historical Society Museum and held in conjunction with Valley City State University.  They are free and open to the public.  For more information contact Wes Anderson at 701-845-0966.