Headlands International Dark Sky Park A storyteller s approach to the night sky
A lot has changed since Emmet County s Headlands property received the prestigious International Dark Sky Park designation in 2011. One of the biggest changes is the perception that the public has on the importance of protecting the night sky. I think a lot of people in Michigan have started to realize that this is an important resource for us to protect, said Beth Anne Eckerle, Emmet County Director of Communications and Web Development. For so long environmentalist s primary efforts have been with protecting water, land, wildlife, flora and fauna, and rightfully so. But at the county we feel that the dark sky needs protecting too. The Headlands is a 600-acre park located two miles west of Mackinaw City. Emmet County rode a wave of media recognition after receiving the designation, not only from around Michigan but throughout the United States and around the world. In the spring of 2015, the Headlands was named as one of the three best places in the United States for stargazing by National Geographic magazine. It feels like all of a sudden people are really starting to pay attention to what is going on in the night sky, said Eckerle. I truly feel that the Headlands and Emmet County have been a leader in that. A lot of communities looked to Emmet County in the months after we received the designation and noticed that it was really benefiting our area in more ways than one. The park brings in many people during seasons that are typically very slow, since stargazing is an opportunity that is available year round and appeals to all ages. From a recreation standpoint it s been fun to see how many people will stay out all night at the park in the dark wilderness, said Eckerle. I find that when I go out to the programs I m energized, I want to stay. Programming at the Headlands sets them apart from other dark sky parks and has been intentionally developed to provide naked eye observation of the sky. The storytelling and exploration of the constellations is presented to the public in a very non-intimidating way. Mary Stewart Adams is the Headlands International Dark Sky Park Program Director. Mary s background is in English Literature so she comes at everything with a story first, said Eckerle. But she understands that people want to come to the park and see something very beautiful in the sky. Adams puts her programs together in such a way that weaves those two components together. The first thing that begins to stir when you re in the dark is your own imagination, said Adams. Storytelling allows us to access the stars, the planets, the stories, and the mythologies, and understand how people viewed their world when they didn t have the kind of technology or sophisticated education that we have now. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DARK SKY According to Adams, when we are exposed to artificial light it causes suppression of the production of the sleep hormone, melatonin. If that hormone is repressed, we can suffer from sleep disorders, which are connected to every major illness that plagues our population. We re 100 years after the invention of the electric light bulb. At that time there was not an awareness that artificial light could have an effect on human health, said Adams. But now we have enough history where we can see the consequences. Artificial light has altered lifestyle and patterns. It s affecting our physiological relationship with the natural rhythms of light and day, and night and sleep. Your body, like the rest of the natural earth, needs some dark.
THE MAJESTY OF NATURE I really differ from the astronomy community when they say that looking at the sky makes us see how small and insignificant we are. I actually think it s the exact opposite, said Adams. When we look at the sky and witness it s majesty it s very affirming that we belong to something great, and we re part of it. I think we need that kind of support and sustenance and surrender to something that s awesome. Adams wants people to leave the park with a heightened sense of belonging to the majesty of it all. That region of Michigan has been a gathering place for centuries. It s where the Native people gathered and the first European settlers came through, as well as commercial navigators and recreational sailors. This has been a region of our state and also of North America where there has been a great deal of that kind of activity, said Adams. To be able to experience it in that natural, undeveloped way can give a sense of one s place and that history and also the larger picture of the majesty of nature. NEW FACILITIES They are in the process of building a new program facility and observatory with indoor and outdoor seating space, an amphitheater and restrooms. They are currently an active construction site but are continuing programming in the designated Dark Sky area during construction. The dome that will sit on the base that we re building for the observatory was donated to Emmet County by Cranbrook, said Eckerle. They heard about us and were replacing their dome and asked if we d be interested in having theirs. It s been in storage in an airport hangar for about two years now. Because the Headlands is such an important piece of property for migrating birds, the new facility will have a green grassy roof with plants and indigenous flowers. PROGRAMS The Dark Sky Park hosts various programs throughout the year, rain or shine. The Headlands is home to the saw-whet owl, which is an entirely nocturnal creature that needs naturally dark places, said Adams. It eats, mates and hunts at night. If there aren t naturally dark places for creatures like this to go, then we lose those creatures. In the spring guests can watch Ed Pike, a retired DNR officer, very gently capture northern saw-whet owls in his nets, band them, record them in his log books and then set them free. August is the most popular time to visit the park, especially during the Perseid meteor event. The Headlands Challenge is another popular event that is held around Halloween. At this event lighted luminaries are placed along the one mile paved road that leads you to the Dark Sky viewing area, said Eckerle. We challenge people to walk through the park in the dark. It s a way to get people comfortable in the dark. When you emerge from the walk in the dark there is a big tent with music and apple cider. Adams dresses like a fortune teller and reads people s fortunes. Although no camping is allowed at the park there are new overnight programs this year. This was their third summer of their Lights Out event where they ask people in nearby communities, as well as the Mackinaw Bridge Authority, to turn out their lights (bridge cable lights only) for an hour on the night of the Perseid meteor shower peak. Adams determines the winning community by measuring who achieved the greater darkness with a sky quality meter. TRUE NATURAL DARKNESS The park is on the fifth largest body of freshwater in the world. That makes for some really dramatic sunsets.
It is an old growth forest that s been virtually untouched for over 100 years, said Adams. It s never been developed so you can just walk those grounds and have this sense of what an undeveloped piece of land is like in this region of the world. Adams led the initiative to get the dark sky designation because she feels human beings are losing the experience of true natural darkness and the night sky. What s important to me is for people to be able to be out in the dark and have that encounter with yourself that results from being in a naturally dar k environment, said Adams. That is something that we are really losing as a culture. We don t go out in the dark. Fear begins to encroach on that place that otherwise would be a natural, healthy, awe-filled experience. The statistics from the International Dark Sky Association say that almost one third of all the light that is being used across the United States every night is wasted because it is spilling up. Over the course of a year it ends up being about $2.2 billion dollars worth of energy. It s not just the money, it s the resources that we had to dig up out of the earth to generate the energy to turn on those lights that are just spilling up and being wasted, said Adams. Their programs such as Lights Out are a good way for people to think about if they are using proper lighting and ask themselves if they really need those lights that are shining up into the sky. The park and Emmet County have never been about encouraging no lighting at all, we ve been about encouraging proper and sensible lighting, said Eckerle. The park is free and is always open. Our local residents have been really receptive to all of this, said Eckerle. It s like they ve uncovered a treasure in their backyard. We re really having an impact on the wildlife and also on human beings experience with the outdoors. For more information on the Headlands International Dark Sky Park visit www.midarkskypark.org.