
2017 IDA Award Winners
2017 Award Recipients
Crawford-Hunter Lifetime Achievement Award
The Crawford-Hunter Lifetime Achievement Award commemorates IDA Co-Founder and former Executive Director, Dr. David L. Crawford, and IDA Co-Founder and former President of the IDA Board of Directors, Dr. Tim B. Hunter, for their pioneering leadership in protecting the night sky and reducing light pollution and the indelible mark they have left. This award represents the highest honor that IDA bestows to individuals who, in the course of their lifetime, have contributed an extraordinary effort to light pollution abatement.
Hoag-Robinson Award
The award honors Dr. Arthur Hoag and William T. Robinson for their work as pioneers in outdoor lighting reform. It is given to an individual who has been outstanding in educating governmental organizations, businesses and the public about the merits of outdoor lighting control ordinances. Only one award will be given each year.
Dr. Arthur Hoag, who received his Ph.D. in astronomy from Harvard University in 1952, was one of the founders of the dark sky movement. Dr. Hoag led the cause against light pollution at Kitt Peak in the 1960s and early 1970s. His efforts, together with those of the astronomers he led, resulted in the adoption of an outdoor lighting ordinance in Tucson and Pima County in 1972.
William Robinson was a retired petroleum engineer experienced in technology and negotiation when he met Dave Crawford at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Shortly thereafter he came out of retirement to become a volunteer for dark sky preservation in southern Arizona. Passionate and tireless, Mr. Robinson was instrumental in the adoption of no less than 50 outdoor lighting control ordinances throughout Arizona that included most incorporated communities, all state counties, and the state itself.
Marge Hoag and Mary Robinson, the widows of Dr. Arthur Hoag and William Robinson, respectively, have agreed to the use of their husbands’ names for this award.
Galileo Award
The Galileo award shall be given “in recognition of outstanding achievements in research or academic work on light pollution over a multiple year period.”
Note: The Galileo Award was established by IDA Europe in 2003 to acknowledge outstanding achievements in combating light pollution in Europe, and was traditionally presented at the European Symposium for the Protection of the Night Sky. In 2017, the restriction of the award to Europe was lifted to better reflect IDA’s international mission, and the award citation was changed to reflect the academic contributions of many of the previous winners while avoiding overlap with other categories of IDA awards. IDA encourages nominations of Europeans for all award categories, and as a standard practice all IDA awards to Europeans will now be officially announced and presented at the European Symposium.
Dr. Schroer is very active in light pollution education. In addition to frequent (mainly German) media interviews, she has interacted directly with politicians and community leaders, representatives of the lighting industry, students, and the general public. For example, Dr. Schroer was an invited speaker at the 8th “ForumLED” LED lighting conference in Lyon, France, in 2016, and gave a well-received talk entitled “The impact of artificial light on the environment – how can modern technology reduce negative effects?”
Chapter Leadership Award
The Chapter Leadership Award is given to an IDA Chapter or Chapter member who has demonstrated outstanding achievement at the local level in combatting light pollution and fostering support for IDA’s mission and programs. Of particular interest are Chapters or Chapter members who have built strong and effective communities around light pollution and its environmental impacts, and who have raised awareness of the issue through exceptional outreach and education programs. Only one award will be given each year.
Nocturnal Habitat Protection Award
The Nocturnal Habitat Protection Award recognizes individuals or entities whose decisive actions have been instrumental to the conservation of substantial nocturnal habitat for terrestrial and/or aquatic wildlife species on public or private land and water resources. Qualifying efforts may include protecting natural areas from encroaching sources of light pollution or restoring natural nocturnal conditions through the elimination of unnecessary lighting and/or the implementation of smart lighting practices on-site. Only one award will be given each year.
Dark Sky Place of the Year
Each year, a single International Dark Sky Place will be awarded the title of Dark Sky Place (Park, Reserve, Community, or Sanctuary) of the Year. This award is given in recognition of a recent exceptional achievement to an IDSP that has been established for at least 3 years. For example, an IDSP could be recognized for a major reduction in lighting inside or near the IDSP, for IDSP led adoption of stricter lighting codes by communities in the buffer zones or in a major city within 100 km distance, for especially innovative or successful programs or actions within the IDSP, or for major contributions to the IDSP program.
Dark Sky Defender Award
The Dark Sky Defender Award is given to individuals and organizations in appreciation and recognition of their exceptional efforts to promote and advance the mission and programs of IDA to preserve night skies by promoting quality outdoor nighttime lighting to reduce light pollution and its environmental impacts. Nominees include those who have led outstanding public education and outreach campaigns on light pollution, who have promoted ordinances and other regulatory tools to reduce light pollution, who have worked with the media, policy makers, opinion leaders and others to bring greater urgency to the issue, and who have fostered collaborations with disparate stakeholders to affect positive change. A maximum of five awards will be given each year.
Joe and Nancy Bill, Tom O’Key, Jessyn Farrell, and Kerem Asfuroglu are recognized as Dark Sky Defenders this year.
Joe and Nancy Bill from Fountain Hills, AZ are founders of the Fountain Hills Dark Sky Association, which is “dedicated to educating the community about the advantages of smart lighting and protecting our unique dark sky.” Joe and Nancy successfully petitioned the Town to update its lighting ordinance, which was passed in November 2016. They have engaged in educating the Fountain Hills community and schools on the importance of preserving dark skies, have successfully encouraged business and government buildings to update their lighting for dark sky purposes, have run an eight-part series in the local newspaper to teach about dark sky preservation, and have earned positive feedback from Town officials all along the way. Joe and Nancy are currently working on plans to bring a public observatory to the Town of Fountain Hills, and are planning to host a Dark Sky Festival in April to celebrate the anticipated Dark Sky designation. Joe and Nancy told IDA, “We feel very honored to have received this award and we hope to spread the enthusiasm for dark skies throughout our community and beyond.”
Rising Star Award
The Rising Star Award honors a student or students of any grade level from elementary school through undergraduate university who demonstrate(s) an enthusiasm for and commitment to dark sky conservation and/or research into nocturnal habitat, human health, safety and security, or other areas in the context of natural darkness and light pollution. A student may conduct his or her activities as part of a science fair or other school-based project, as a member of a community service organization, in partnership with a non-profit, or coordinated with a local, state, or national park or other protected natural area. No more than three awards will be presented annually.
Charles Goldberg and Kyle Hartmann receive this year’s Rising Star Award honors.
Previous Winners
To view details about the 2016 award recipients, click here.
To view details about the 2015 award recipients, click here.