The health and environmental benefits of protecting a region from light pollution are already well established, and one only has to look at the stream of visitors to the Jasper Dark Sky Festival or the Alberta’s newest dark sky preserve in Lakeland Provincial Park to get a sense of how “astrotourism” can boost rural economies.
But how does spending a night gazing up at the unspoiled sky impact these astrotourists? Is it enough to change how they think about light pollution, or does the sense of wonder fade like the milky way under city lights?
Such aspects of visitor experiences are the topic of new research from Dr. Glen Hvenegaard, professor of environmental science at the University of Alberta Augustana Campus.
“The economic impacts are real, and they’re substantial. They benefit local communities, especially in rural dark sky types of areas that are needing rural economic activity,” Hvenegaard said.
“We …