Protecting Our Region From Light Pollution
Living around Lac Manitou, we have the privilege of enjoying so many aspects of nature including our night sky. Look up on those icy, clear nights in the heart of winter, to see the brilliance of a million pinpoints of starlight. If you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of the gently rolling waves of colour of the northern lights. Every year in mid-August, your dock offers spectacular views as Perseid meteors blaze across the sky. While you’re out there, you might catch a glimpse of a long straight row of freshly launched Starlink satellites.
Effects of Light Pollution
But these glorious views are threatened by artificial lighting. Flood lights, Christmas lights, solar lighting, bright fixtures left on all night. Light pollution doesn’t just interfere with stargazing, it disturbs circadian rhythms in local animal life — including humans. Artificial all night lighting can even hurt effect plant growth — potentially delaying flowering, prolonging growing season and reducing plant resilient to frost and disease. Find out more via DarkSky International, a nonprofit that works to protect the night sky from light pollution through advocacy, education, and the promotion of responsible outdoor lighting.. https://darksky.org/
What You Can Do to Preserve our Dark Skies
Ivry-sur-le-Lac municipal bylaw, Règlement 2022-145 includes a regulation on outdoor lighting. Article 3.11 prohibits any exterior light, direct or indirect, from spilling off your property in a way that could cause danger, nuisance, or disturb the peace. Make sure the lighting on your property complies with the by-law.
Use fully shielded, downward-facing fixtures to prevent light from escaping upward or outward.
Choose warm-white bulbs (3000 K or lower) to reduce glare and blue light.
Turn off outdoor lights after 11:00 p.m., or when not in use.
Disable or reprogram automatic solar lights so they turn off at night or use motion sensors instead.
Respect the shoreline and neighbouring views —light travels farther than you think, especially over open water.
We are fortunate to look across Lac Manitou to see a myriad of celestial phenomena with the naked eye. Let’s keep it that way—for our own sake, and for future generations.
Turn off your light and enjoy the night.
Resources and links:
Dark Skies International 🔗 https://darksky.org/
Ivry-sur-lr-lac Light By-law 🔗https://ivry-sur-le-lac.qc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/R2022-145_Nuisances_CADM.pdf