The Original CSb Advisory Group

During the Ecology of the Night Conference in 2003, we were made aware of the extent artificial light has on biology. Subsequent studies identified an intriging fact that many light forms rely on darkness for their health and the darkness provides cover to foragers. The natural lighting, the Moon and stars, are the main cues for navigation during local foraging, and long migrations. Photobiology concerns the impact of light on the environment but there was no focused field of research on the benefits of darkness. This was the impetus for creating the field of scotobiology. For the record, here are the four founding members of the Canadian Scotobiology Advisory Group. Although all but one person is retired, we feel their contributions to the science of Scotobiology should be recorded. The Advisory Group has been merged with the Light Pollution Abatement Program of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

PRINCIPALS

Tony Bidwell, Ph.D Professor Emeritus, Queens University and retired Executive Director of the Atlantic Institute of Biotechnology and retired, Director and Senior Partner with Atlantic Research Associates. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, 1973, and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1987. In 1977, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal and received the Gold Medal of the Canadian Society of Plant Physiologists in 1979. He has written over 140 scientific papers and six books, including Plant Physiology and three volumes of a Treatise on Plant Physiology. Tony’s research included plant metabolism, biochemistry, photosynthesis, nitrogen biochemistry, ecophysiology, and reaction of plants to environmental stress.

Robert Dick M.Eng., P.Eng., FRASC Received his graduate degree in mechanical engineering in 1981 and worked in the commercial electronics, avionics and spacecraft industries. He has taught physics and engineering at the University of Ottawa and Carleton University as well as courses on astronomy at Algonquin College in Ottawa. He is the President of CSbG Inc. He researched and authored the Canadian Guidelines for Outdoor Lighting (CGOL) that were subsequently adopted by Parks Canada, the Royal Astronomcial Society of Canada (RASC) and the International Darksky Association, and adapted by the US National Park Service. He developed the Dark-sky Preserve (DSP) Program for the RASC and its lighting protocol that is based on the CGOL. He has promoted the use of scotobiology in the development of urban lighting policies and Bylaws and written articles on scotobiology and urban lighting policies in engineering and urban planning journals. He has performed lighting studies of municipalities and for protected areas. He developed the CSbG-EcoLights to be fully compliant to the publically-available CGOL to provide governments, agencies and individuals with an alternative lighting option.

Peter Goering, B.Arch, MRAIC A graduate of the University of Toronto's School of Architecture in 1955. In retirement he pursued a number of Heritage & Environmental projects in cottage country north of Toronto with interests in the whole night environment. He assisted in establishing Canada's first Dark-Sky Reserve in Muskoka under the direction of the " Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources", and with the support of the Muskoka Heritage Foundation (of which he was a director). In 2003 he spearheaded a symposium entitled "Ecology of the Night" in the Muskoka District north of Toronto Ontario, from which connections to Parks Canada, the WWF, the Nature Conservancy and the RASC have been supporting partners. Having received environmental awards from the Muskoka Heritage Foundation and the Lake of Bays Association (where he is now an Honorary Director), he has continued to pursue "dark-sky" interests as a founding member of the CSAG.

David Welch, Ph.D Dr. Welch holds a Ph.D. in Physical Geography from the University of Western Ontario and taught at the University of Winnipeg. He has extensive Arctic field experience and has twice been a visiting scientist in Australia. For Parks Canada he provided advice in earth sciences, remote sensing and ecological monitoring, and introduced geographic information systems to the work place. From 2003 as the Head of Environmental Quality for Parks Canada he managed programmes on contaminated sites, ecological restoration and invasive species, as well as continuing to advise Parks Canada on air quality issues and developing a climate change strategy. Now retired, he maintains an active interest in protected areas through participation in several dark sky initiatives, chief among them is chairing the Dark Skies Advisory Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.(DSAG-IUCN).

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