Stargazing and Stewardship: Connecting Land and Sky at the Southington Land Conservation Trust
On December 5, we’ll co-host the first of what we hope are a series of astronomy sessions on Southington Land Conservation Trust properties. We'll stand on preserved land, stare up at the heavens, and hopefully gain the perspective that the ground beneath us and the stars above are part of the same story.
When you love the land, you protect it.
When you love the sky, you protect that land even more.
In all of humanity’s history, except for the last 100 or so years, a dark night sky was a foregone and visible part of the natural world. The Milky Way was literally that, a cloudy path in the sky, and today it is seen only in the darkest regions. The stars were a calendar, a compass, the origin of myth, a connection to something larger than us. May I humbly suggest that, more than ever, we need to feel something larger than us today.
Dark night skies keep humans healthy, keep animals alive, and preserve energy. They also don’t happen by accident. They’re the reward for communities that fight to minimize light pollution and preserve open spaces...places where nature gets to breathe. If we want to keep seeing nebulae or Orion rising clean and sharp, we need less glare of undisciplined light and need more fields, forests, wetlands, and ridgelines that stay dark and wild.
We love electricity and technology as much as the next person, and we live in a house that sits on once-undeveloped land. But light pollution is pollution, and observational astronomy needs the conservation of dark skies. Conservation thrives when people feel awe, the kind that the beauty of nature, or a night sky, can provoke.
These protected spaces are more than scenery. They’re habitats, classrooms, and sanctuaries for wild animals and the human soul. Like the heavens above, they’re also a kind of time machine. And done right, they are places where kids learn curiosity, and adults rediscover wonder. They’re a place where you remember you are a part of nature, not apart from it.
In every encounter we’ve had with the Land Trust, we’ve been so impressed with how that sentiment lives. We did a nature walk and sensed their joy explaining flora and fauna. When we visited the property we’ll use for the December 5 session, a casual debate broke out over the exact species of a bird overhead. And sitting in our first member meeting, a presentation on native seeds and plants was a highlight. These are kindred spirits, people who understand that a deep love for the universe begins with deeply marveling in its smallest details.
So, here’s to layering on warm clothes and keep looking up together. And here’s to protecting the natural spaces that let us see the universe and ourselves with a slightly different perspective.
Photo credit: Southington Land Conservation Trust
