April 5, 2022 10:20 a.m.

Roseburg Public Library is inviting the community to take part in a Facebook Live nature program at 6:00 p.m. on April 14th.

It is titled “Dark Skies” and is presented in partnership with the Umpqua Valley Audubon Society.

A release said the program presenter is Mary Coolidge, a career biologist and conservationist currently serving as Portland Audubon’s BirdSafe and Lights Out campaign coordinator. The program will discuss the importance of darkness for nocturnal wildlife and migrating birds that use stars to navigate. Coolidge says nighttime on earth has been consumed by artificial light over the past 130 years. She believes this overabundance of light at night has dire ecological consequences for plants, birds, fish and other wildlife.

Umpqua Community College Assistant Professor of Science Dr. Paul Morgan, who is also a member of Umpqua Astronomers, will follow up with commentary on local dark skies, light pollution and astronomy in the Umpqua Valley.

The event will be livestreamed on the library’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/roseburglibrary. A Facebook is not required to attend.

The presentation will be followed by a question and answer session. Speaker questions can be submitted before the event to: lrathe@cityofroseburg.org, or by calling 492-7052. Viewers who have a Facebook account may post questions during the event by commenting on the live stream.