MISSIOn
Welcome to the Starlight Development Society, where our mission is to preserve the beauty the night sky, develop astrotourism products and infrastruture, and educate on the importance of astronomy in our culture and heritage. We are dedicated to supporting astrotourism products and services within the Starlight Tourist destination and reserve, also known as the Acadian Skies & Miqmaq Lands. This includes the municipalities of Argyle, Clare, & Yarmouth in South West Nova Scotia. Join us in our efforts to protect the stars and promote the value of astronomy education for all.
WHERE WE STARTED
The story of our beginnings is rooted in Nova Scotia's reputation for having some of the clearest and darkest skies in the world, particularly in the central and southwest regions of the province. Back in 2013, La Société Touristique Bon Temp d’Argyle was established with the aim of boosting tourism in the area. The founders recognized the potential for astrotourism and embarked on a mission to have the region officially recognized as a dark sky destination by the Starlight Foundation in Spain. In 2014, their hard work paid off, as the municipalities of Claire, Argyle, and Yarmouth became the first and only starlight tourist destinations and reserves to be certified by the Starlight Foundation in North America. The objectives of this endeavour were to foster astrotourism in the region, raise awareness about the importance of preserving the night sky as part of our heritage and ecosystem, create infrastructure for stargazing activities, integrate astronomy education into the local school system.
Starlight Foundation
https://en.fundacionstarlight.org
In the I International Starlight Conference (April 2007) promoted by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, born the principles and recommendations contained in the "Declaration in Defense of the Night Sky and the Right to Starlight" (Declaration of La Palma or Starlight Declaration). After this conference, the Starlight Foundation is created as the entity responsible for the development and promotion of the Declaration of La Palma.
Its main goals are the protection of the night sky, the cultural diffusion of the astronomy and the local sustainable economic development through astrotourism. To achieve these objectives, the international Starlight Certification system is created, aimed at promoting, worldwide, a different way of caring for and defending the sky, valuing it as a necessary resource for life and as an intangible heritage of humanity, guaranteeing the ability to enjoy the light of the stars and the development of activities based on this resource. Starlight Certification brings science and tourism together for the first time and is supported by the UNWTO and IAU. READ ON
