The Wye Valley Society’s annual general meeting is set to take place on Monday, February 27th, 2023, from 7:30 pm to 9pm at Walford Village Hall, near Ross-on-Wye.

This year, Councillor Yolande Watson, Herefordshire Councillor for Kerne Bridge, will be presenting an engaging talk on the Kerne Bridge Dark Skies Project. Volunteers have been measuring light pollution in her ward since May of last year, and the information collected has been mapped and analysed, indicating the areas with slight, moderate, and severe light pollution.

Green telescopes represent slight light pollution, amber shows moderate light pollution, and red indicates severe light pollution, all of which are visible on the Wye Valley Society’s website.

This week, local residents living in Whitchurch and The Doward are measuring light pollution levels, with the photo illustrating the clear presence of light pollution on The Doward.

Yolande’s presentation will explore the reasons for starting the project, what volunteers have been up to, and what’s next in store. The Kerne Bridge Dark Skies Project aims to highlight the growing issue of light pollution in the Wye Valley, UK, and globally. People are generally unaware that light glow and trespass negatively affect nocturnal pollinators like moths and bats, as well as humans’ biological clocks.

CPRE is searching for citizen scientists who love the night sky and want to participate in the nationwide Star Count cosmic census to map light pollution from February 17th to 24th. Register for Star Count 2023 at cpre.org.uk.

If you want to learn more about the Kerne Bridge Dark Skies Project, come to the Wye Valley Society AGM on February 27th at 7:30 pm at Walford Village Hall, near Ross-on-Wye.