NELPAG Circular No. 9
NELPAG Circular No. 9 1994 September 21
New England Light Pollution Advisory Group (NELPAG)
Editor: Daniel W. E. Green [Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory;
60 Garden Street; Cambridge, MA 02138] (telephone 617-495-7440)
e-mail: green@cfa (.bitnet, .span, or .harvard.edu)
Secretary: Eric Johansson (telephone 508-667-0137)
email: esj@harvee.billerica.ma.us
"Subscription" to this irregular news/information Circular is available by
sending self-addressed, stamped (29-cent) regular-sized (9.5x4-inch) envelopes
(SASE) to Dan Green at his postal address, or by sending your e-mail address
to either Dan or Eric using the e-mail addresses above. Contributed
information for this Circular concerning outdoor lighting problems in New
England (or pertinent info from outside New England) are welcomed. Please
circulate this newsletter to all interested parties.
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ANNUAL JOINT IDA/S&T/NELPAG MEETING ON 1994 OCTOBER 22
Eight people from Maine (J. Stockman, P. Talmage, T. Dater) and
Massachusetts (B. Volz, S. O'Meara, B. Wylie, D. Green, E. Johansson) met
on September 18 in Portsmouth, NH, to plan the details of the agenda for
the October 22 meeting in Kennebunkport, Maine, which was announced in NELPAG
Circular 6.
Directions to the meeting location: driving northward on the Maine
Turnpike (I-95), get off at exit 2; after the toll booth, take a left onto
Route 109 and go one mile to Route 1; turn left onto Route 1 and go 2 miles;
turn right onto Route 9 and go about 5-6 miles, past two sets of traffic
lights; soon after the second set of lights, you'll cross the Kennebunk River;
about 100 yards past the river, as you're passing through the center of
Kennebunkport, you'll pass a monument; at the monument, turn left into a
large parking lot; park and walk to the Community Center (where our meeting
will take place), the back of which is visible at the right rear of this
parking lot. (Alternatively, you could go a little past this parking lot
and come to Spring Street, turn left, and you'll come to the front of the
Community Center on your left; you can park on the street.)
It would be helpful if those planning to attend the main meeting
would contact Dan in advance, so we can get an idea of rough numbers. There
will be no registration fee, thanks to the generous support of Sky & Telescope,
and all are invited to attend. The actual meeting will take place from 1:00
to about 7:00 p.m. at the Community House on Spring Street in Kennebunkport.
The planned agenda is given below. We will have dinner (likely together)
between 7 and 9 p.m. at one or more of the local restaurants. Then, at 9:00
p.m., we will meet at St. Monica's Church (parking lot) on North Street for
the start of a nighttime tour of outdoor lighting in the Kennebunks area,
led by the local group. The Kennebunkport group has been very successful in
developing workable local ordinances for good outdoor lighting, and this
annual meeting is being held in Kennebunkport chiefly to look at what has
worked and why.
AGENDA (titles of talks; speakers), Saturday, October 22
1:00 p.m. --- Introduction (Peter Talmage)
1:05 --- International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) Update (David Crawford,
IDA President)
1:25 --- Understanding Luminance, Illuminance, and Glare, and their effect
on people (Bob Wylie, lighting engineer)
1:45 --- The Kennebunkport Lighting Ordinance and Draft Lighting Policy
(Peter Talmage, Chair, Kennebunkport Lighting Committee)
2:15 --- Lighting Ordinances in Other Maine Towns (James Stockman, lighting
consultant, J. & M. Associates)
2:35 --- State of Maine Lighting Ordinance --- Peter Talmage
2:50 --- Working with the Maine Lighting Ordinance and How it Could be Modified
(Lawrence Bartlett, Lighting Consultant, Enterprise Engineering)
3:05 --- Break, informal discussion
3:30 --- Good Neighbor Outdoor Lighting booklet: a Status Report and Review
of the Current Draft (Dan Green, Smithsonian Observatory astronomer; and
Steve O'Meara, Assistant Editor of Sky & Telescope magazine)
4:00 --- Video presentation on outdoor lighting fixtures in the Kennebunkport
area (Peter Talmage)
4:20 --- The latest in Good and Bad Outdoor Lighting Fixtures (James Stockman)
4:50 --- Update on Lighting at Wesleyan University (Arthur R. Upgren, Van
Vleck Observatory)
5:05 --- Update on Lighting at the University of Maine at Orono (Alan
Davenport, director, Maynard Jordan Planetarium)
5:20 --- New Cut-off Lighting offerings by Central Maine Power Co.
(Len Noyes, C.M.P.)
5:35 --- Time slot for unannounced short topics from participants
6:00 --- General panel discussion on all topics
7:00 --- Conclusion of meeting
7:00-9:00 --- dinner in local restaurants
9:00 --- beginning of Kennebunks outdoor lighting tour (meet at parking
lot of St. Monica's Church on North Street, Kennebunkport)
MODERATELY-PRICED LODGINGS IN THE KENNEBUNKPORT AREA
[note: make reservations well ahead of time, to ensure that you get a
room; this is a tourist area]
The Beachwood Motel (Route 9, Kennebunkport; 207-967-2483)
The Kings Port Motor Inn (Route 9, Kennebunk Lower Village; 207-967-4340)
The Turnpike Motel (Exit 3 off I-95; Route 35, Kennebunk; 207-985-4404)
The Kennebunk Galley Motel (Route 1 south; 207-985-4543)
Econo Lodge at Kennebunk (Route 1 south; 207-985-6100)
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Enclosure [postal mail only]: copy of news note on French "light balloons"
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NOTE: When sending SASEs to Dan for your subscription to the printed NELPAG
Circular, please write the Circular number on the back of the envelope; he's
losing track of who's getting which issue! So, if you've run out after
receiving this particular issue (No. 9), send three more SASEs, and number
them 10, 11, and 12 on the back side.
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The NELPAG supports the International Dark-Sky Association and recommends
that all individuals/groups who are interested in the problems of light
pollution and obtrusive lighting should subscribe to the IDA Newsletter
(IDA membership costs $20.00 per year; send check to
International Dark-Sky Association, 3545 N. Stewart, Tucson, AZ 85716).