Watch the City’s Dark Skies Panel

The City of San Rafael hosted an educational panel on dark skies on Thursday, Nov. 5, led by Mayor Kate. The one-hour hybrid event took place in the City Hall Council Chambers, with community members attending in person and joining remotely by Zoom. Local and regional experts shared practical knowledge about protecting the night sky, including the effects of light pollution on wildlife and human health, lighting design, and community advocacy.

Panelists were:

• Laura Arndt, a retired nurse and Point Reyes resident of more than 50 years, who represents DarkSky West Marin. The all-volunteer group works to protect West Marin's Milky Way views from light pollution and to earn designation as a DarkSky Place from DarkSky International.
• Anna Kondolf, owner of Anna Kondolf Lighting Design, who works with DarkSky West Marin. She brings more than 36 years of Bay Area lighting design experience to her advocacy for dark sky ordinances.
• Bobbi Simpson, a director of the Marin Conservation League. She spent 33 years with the National Park Service, most recently as Invasive Plant Liaison for 14 California national parks, and advocates for dark skies, climate solutions, and the protection of Marin's parks and open space.
• Julian Wood, Senior Scientist and San Francisco Bay Program Leader at Point Blue Conservation Science, who leads bird monitoring and research projects and develops partnerships to advance conservation and climate adaptation planning.

Watch the full recording here.

Questions or comments can be sent to [email protected].