Have you ever been outside at night on a ship? Or maybe in the mountains? Or even in a rural area, far away from a major city? Looking up at such a sky makes you feel like you can reach up and touch the stars. 'Why doesn't the sky look like this where I live?' you might wonder.

The answer is simple: lighting. Too much lighting, and used in the wrong way. While we are all very aware these days of the need to "go green" and protect the environment, only a few of us realize the deleterious effect that too much lighting has on people, animals, and the environment. Studies have shown that excessive nighttime lighting contributes to the death of baby sea turtles and migrating night birds, just to name two examples. And humans are also suffering from a lack of nighttime exposure. Too much lighting has been linked to increased crime and traffic accidents, poor sleep habits, and even a variety of mental and physical ailments in humans.

The Virginia Living Museum is working hard to improve its lighting practices. We have installed full cutoff parking lot and trail lighting that prevents unneeded light from shining up into the sky. We have begun replacing older, inefficient lighting solutions with new ones. But there is still much more we can do. You can join us in our quest to improve lighting practices by visiting the International Dark Sky Association at www.darksky.org. There you will find numerous resources to help you help us take back the night.