Protecting Dark Skies for All

A special presentation by

Suzanne Metlay, Ph.D.

Following a special feature from the Town of Berthoud on the importance of protecting our local dark skies, Suzanne Metlay will return to LTO for summer solstice and a discussion about dark skies elsewhere in the nation and world. A serious concern is balancing economic issues with the health benefits, environmental outcomes, and tourism draw of dark skies. Specifically, we will look at where some of the world’s premiere telescopes are located and the viability of keeping those places safe for astronomy.

Suzanne Metlay, Ph.D. is full-time faculty in Earth & Space Sciences Teacher Education at Western Governors University, a fully online non-profit university founded in 1997 by 19 governors of western states, including Colorado. Previously, Suzanne taught astronomy and geology at Front Range Community College in Longmont and Fort Collins, was Operations Director for Secure World Foundation in Superior, and served as Education Programs Manager at CU-Boulder’s Fiske Planetarium. Currently, Suzanne is a past President of the Teacher Education Division of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, and serves on the Advocacy Committee.

Suzanne has a BA in History and Science from Harvard University and a PhD in Geology and Planetary Science from the University of Pittsburgh. She was awarded the Antarctica Service Medal from the Department of the Navy and National Science Foundation for fieldwork conducted