Our work
Light pollution disrupts wildlife, impacts human health, wastes money and energy, contributes to climate change, and blocks our view of the universe.
That’s five reasons that we work hard to keep our dark skies dark.
One of the simplest and most effective ways for residents to help maintain the integrity of the National Landscape is to comply with the Dark Skies policy that Wye Valley National Landscape and Fownhope Parish Council have adopted. You will probably have noticed that there are very few street lights in the village. This is a deliberate policy adopted by Fownhope Parish Council in response to requests to reduce night time light pollution during two parish wide consultations (Fownhope Community Led Plan – 2005; Fownhope Neighbourhood Development Plan – 2015).
The Parish Council’s Environment Working Group has made Dark Skies a key focus, and we are working with the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England to help us make improvements in policy and implementation.
The good news is that it’s pretty straightforward for individual households to help maintain our dark skies…
Dark Skies news
Create a Moon Meadow: Help Night-time Pollinators
A Moon Meadow is a green space or planted area, such as a pot, which is filled with plants that benefit our night-time pollinators like moths. There are around 2,500 species of moth in the UK – 100 species in a typical back garden – and they come in all…
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Position Statement on Dark Skies & Artificial Lighting
The Wye Valley National Landscape Partnership has adopted a Position Statement on Dark Skies & Artificial Lighting. For development proposals to be compatible with the Wye Valley AONB Management Plan, they should be compatible with the relevant position statements and guidance. Therefore it’s helpful to refer to this new Position…
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Fownhope’s Dark Skies
From February to May this year, many residents across South Herefordshire were involved in Herefordshire CPRE’s Dark Skies Project, taking Sky Quality Meter readings at night to identify areas of light pollution in their communities. A few volunteers from the Parish Council’s Environment Group did a survey in April, and…
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