Monday, 11 April 2022
Maleny District Sport & Recreation Club Community Newsletter “Saving the Dark in Maleny” The skies over the Maleny Observatory (North Maleny) are recognised as some of the darkest skies that are least affected by light pollution in coastal SE Qld. Positive action now can keep them that way! What if by simply replacing our town's streetlight ttings and bulbs, we could safely reduce light pollution, preserve the beautiful night skies, protect wildlife, improve our sleeping patterns - and it would actually be more cost effective? It seems like a no brainer! Well that is what a petition started here in Maleny aims to do. If by signing the petition we can enact this change, it could see Maleny as a test case and mean State-wide action in the future. Maleny and surrounding districts enjoy diverse wildlife, much of which is adversely affected by excessive arti cial lighting at night. A good example is the Northern Wetlands, established by UnityWater on the Maleny Precinct. Shaping up as one of the
Sunshine Coast's prime waterbird habitats, it has an extensive area of mixed aquatic vegetation, providing refuge to and attracting wildlife. Glare from arti cial lights impacts such wetland habitats, home to amphibians such as frogs and toads, whose nighttime croaking is part of the breeding ritual. Arti cial lights disrupt this nocturnal activity, interfering with reproduction and reducing populations. Scienti c evidence suggests that arti cial night lighting has negative and deadly effects on many creatures including amphibians, birds, mammals, insects and plants. The major contributor to light pollution is street lights, particularly those that shine light above the horizontal (unshielded) and have a high blue content in their light. It is hoped the petition can lead lights suppliers Energy Qld to start replacing the old-style mercury bulb streetlights with the approved new dark sky sensitive amber lights, with shielded ttings. Action is needed now so that the mercury bulbs are not replaced with even worse blue-rich LED bulbs. The money saved by moving to more energy ef cient lights completely offsets the changeover cost in just a few years. Here is the link to the petition and it’s easy and
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https://issuu.com/Maleny-Grapevine-Community-News
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Maleny District Sport & Recreation Club Community Newsletter
https://malenysportandrec.org.au/