Today we’d like to introduce you to Todd Burlet.
Hi Todd, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m a lifelong amateur astronomer, having received my first Sears catalog cardboard tube, spindly-legged telescope for Christmas when I was about 10. Growing up in the west-metro suburbs in the 1960s and 1970s, the only light pollution I had to deal with was the city streetlight on the corner, and to solve light pollution I just had to pick up my telescope and take it to the back yard. Thirty years later, around 2000, I was sitting in my brother’s backyard in an outer-ring suburb of Chicago at midnight, and I looked up at the sky, as I often do, and was shocked to see that the sky wasn’t black -it was dark blue. The sky was lit by the 9 million people in the greater Chicago area, and not one of those 9 million residents could see a dark sky. I decided to do something and became a member of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), the world’s leading advocacy organization working to preserve our natural nighttime environment. When I retired from a 37-year engineering career, I had perfect timing, as the Duluth chapter of the IDA was expanding to Minneapolis. A few months later, I was elected president of the statewide organization, and we’ve been growing and maturing ever since -we became a Minnesota corporation in 2022 and a 501(c)3 non-profit in 2023. In 2022, we helped launch the Michigan chapter of the IDA and this year; we’re helping both Wisconsin and Iowa launch chapters.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been a lot of work, but we’ve had a diverse team of talented and highly motivated leaders and volunteers who have generously shared their time, talents, and expertise. We were also fortunate that a family member of one of our founding members had extensive experience launching non-profit organizations, and they walked us through the process and provided invaluable guidance along the way. We’ve also been successful at finding organizations interested in partnering with us, such as astronomy clubs, Audubon chapters, Minnesota Master Naturalists, and the staff of our National and State Parks and their non-profit partners. These organizations have been extremely generous at sharing their human resources, collaborating with us to create public outreach opportunities, and learning from us so they can incorporate light pollution topics in their public outreach.
Thanks. What else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a co-founder, board member, and president of a small non-profit, I must be a jack of all trades. I need to understand the science of lights and lighting, the biology of light’s impacts on organisms and ecosystems, and have the cultural awareness to appreciate how marginalized groups and members of diverse cultures are disproportionately impacted by light pollution. I must also know the night sky and star lore to support public star parties. Fortunately, my background as a project engineer prepared me to be a generalist -someone who knows a little bit about everything (and everything about nothing), and my lifelong love of the night sky gave me ample preparation for leading star parties. I’m also proud of understanding how small organizations can do big things, and using that knowledge to help Starry Skies North grow in size and impact. Starry Skies North is currently focused on growing our volunteer base so we can reach a broader audience across the region, and we’re working hard to help launch Urban Night Sky Places (UNSPs). UNSPs are public or private spaces in or near urban areas that provide opportunities for urban and suburban residents to experience the night sky right where they live. Not everyone has the privilege of being able to travel to places with dark skies, so this is a way of bringing the night sky to them. Yes, it’s a sky impacted by light pollution, but the moon, planets, and the brightest stars are still visible, and everyone has the right to experience them.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I’m fond of telling audiences that everyone cares about light pollution, they just don’t know it yet. Light pollution’s impacts are so diverse and far-ranging that there’s always a connection to be made between those things that individuals value and those things that light pollution impacts. So whether it’s clean water and healthy fish populations, concerns about human physical and mental health, social and environmental justice, sustainable communities, climate change, helping our seniors maintain their independence, creating economic opportunities, the joy and awe of seeing the Milky Way and the aurora, property rights, or just saving money on their electric bill, there’s a direct connection between everyone’s values and light pollution’s impacts.
Pricing:
- None. We are an all-volunteer organization. Donations and speaking fees are appreciated to help defray operating costs, but they are not required.
- Membership dues range from $18 to $70 annually. Dues are encouraged but optional because we want everyone to be able to join, regardless of their economic condition.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://starryskiesnorth.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starryskiesnorth/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starryskiesnorth/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/starry-skies-north/
Image Credits
Todd Burlet, Caroline Torkildson, Bob Foucault, Mark Morgen, Bob Groethe
