Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Dark-Sky Preserve Program

05/13/2026

05/01/2026

04/17/2026

Kejimkujik is home to some of Nova Scotia's darkest skies and brightest stars 🌠 It was designated a dark-sky preserve through The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 2010.

📷: J. Black / Friends of Keji

04/13/2026

🌌 International Dark Sky Week

International Dark Sky Week is dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of dark skies and the growing impact of light pollution around the world.

A naturally dark night sky is part of our shared heritage. It connects us to the universe, supports ecosystems and wildlife, and offers a sense of perspective that is increasingly rare in a brightly lit world. As artificial light continues to expand, opportunities to experience truly dark skies are becoming more limited for many communities.

This week invites us to pause, look up, and reflect on what we lose when the night sky fades from view and what we gain when we protect it.

Whether you’re observing the stars, sharing the night sky with others, or simply stepping outside after dark, International Dark Sky Week is a reminder that protecting darkness is something we can all take part in. Let’s work together to preserve the wonder above us. ✨

📷: Trevor Jones | Terra Nova National Park & Dark Sky Preserve

03/28/2026

With Earth Hour tonight, if you want to do more than a symbolic gesture, consider leaving your outdoor lights off and minimizing your indoor lighting (close curtains!) overnight during the spring migration period, typically to the end of May.

03/20/2026

New headlight technology in vehicles can help drivers see better but they can cause problems for other road users. We want to hear about your experiences, opinions, and behaviours while travelling at night.

03/16/2026

They started removing the letters from the old Hudson's Bay building downtown.

03/16/2026

Urban wildlife and their habitat...

It's a cold day in Calgary but it's also our first day of Collision Surveys downtown.

Breanna and Delanie braved the cold this morning to get eyes down there for any injured or grounded birds or bats and to document any losses due to glass. Thank you!

Breanna took this great photo of two Black-billed Magpie nests in progress. We hope that building managers recognize the important role of magpies in the urban environment and will respect all nests.

Note too the trees wrapped with holiday lights. This is quite unfortunate and we would suggest it should be avoided. Urban trees are just as much habitat as any other tree. Many species of birds and insects travel up and down trunks seeking insects and caching seeds, including Brown Creepers and Red-breasted Nuthatches.

Artificial presence like these wires will certainly impede these natural relationships.

Further, if the lights are removed now, they will disturb the nests and this process too. (These are the nests we easily see. Many species create much smaller less noticeable nests that could be disturbed likewise elsewhere.)

We haven't even touched on the role of vanity lighting on the loss of natural darkness or how the glass building in the background melts into the sky due to the reflective nature of these reflective surfaces (collision hazard).

Phew! There was a lot of material in that one inspirational photo to cover!

Did I miss anything? Join us our fantastic collision team! See our "events" for the upcoming orientation!

Be safe. Keep wildlife safe too. Thank you!
Photo credit: Breanna Green

PS. I didn't even see the magpie at first due to the wires. What or who else can you spot?

CMcalgary Bird Friendly Calgary Nature Canada Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation Alberta Environmental Network CPAWS Southern Alberta Acopian BirdSavers Nature Calgary Nature Alberta DarkSky International United Nations Alberta Birds Global Bird Rescue Birds Canada City of Calgary – Your Local Government Calgary Parks

03/01/2026