This post is one of a series of 13, highlighting Flagstaff-focused non-profit organizations that The Framing Department is partnered with! By mentioning our “13 Years of Giving” program, $13 from each framing order our customers place are donated to these amazing organizations driving positive change in our community.
When was the organization established? How long has it been active in Flagstaff?
Established 1999
What does the organization do? What is your main goal/purpose?
Our mission is “To Celebrate, Promote and Protect the glorious dark skies of Flagstaff and Northern Arizona” – We seek to raise awareness of the beauty and wonder of our dark, star–filled night skies and how we can promote and protect them, through education and production of events such as the Celebration of the Night, NightVisions exhibits, presentations at local environmental events such as Earth Day and Lights Out Flagstaff.
How do people get involved (can people volunteer, give donations, etc)?
Donations to FDSC through our parent organization (International Dark–Sky Association) are always welcome, and are tax–deductible. We are participating in the 2014 Arizona Gives Day at razoo.com. Anyone interested in becoming involved in our all–volunteer efforts is encouraged to contact us at info@flagstaffdarkskies.org.
What is your organization seeking from the community? Cash donations? Participation in events? In-kind donations? This is your chance to tell the reader how they can help!
Support of any kind is welcome – from cash or in-kind donations to becoming involved with our efforts to increase awareness and enjoyment of our wonderful star-filled skies through volunteer activities. We have more ideas than resources to accomplish them!
Do you have any special events coming up?
FDSC has many special events planned for Flagstaff’s 2014 “Year of the Night Sky”. We just participated in Lights Out Flagstaff on March 28th in Heritage Square with the City of Flagstaff and Lowell Observatory. This event was the launch for Flagstaff’s “Year of the Night Sky”.
In August we will be participating in the “Dark Skies and Emerging Technologies” conference to be hosted by Lowell Observatory, the City of Flagstaff and the Keystone Center at the NAU High Country Conference Center.
September brings “The Celebration of the Night” starting with NightVisions V on September 20th through to October 29th at the Coconino Center for the Arts. NightVisions is a juried fine arts exhibit that explores and celebrates the night sky. The call for entries can be found here.
Saturday, October 18th , Orchestra Northern Arizona and FDSC are featuring a night sky themed concert at the Coconino Center for the Arts. This concert will bring composer Karim Elmahmoudi to Flagstaff for the Flagstaff premier performance of “Orbit, a Symphonic Fantasy”.
Finally to round out the “Year of the Night Sky” October 17th through 19th will be the first ever Flagstaff Regional Star Party at Buffalo Park. FDSC is working with Lowell Observatory, the City of Flagstaff, and ECoNA, to bring amateur astronomers with their telescopes to Flagstaff for family viewing of the night sky in the World’s First International Dark Sky City.
What is your favorite part about doing business in Flagstaff and serving our community?
The experience of how the community bonds together in protection of our dark starry night sky in Flagstaff. This combination of decades of community and municipal support has created a dark sky friendly environment that few communities in the world can match. In an era where the natural dark night sky is disappearing and many children growing up in the United Stated have never seen the Milky Way without the aid of media, Flagstaff can be proud of the fact that it is doing so well to ensure that future generations of Flagstaff’s children will have that ability.
Is there anything else you would like to add that we have not asked? Put that here!
As Ronald Reagan said in 1984,
“If we’ve learned any lessons during the past few decades, perhaps the most important is that preservation of our environment is not a partisan challenge; it’s common sense. Our physical health, our social happiness, and our economic well-being will be sustained only by all of us working in partnership as thoughtful, effective stewards of our natural resources.”
And that includes a dark night sky.
How can people get in touch with you? (This is a good place for links to your website, facebook, *AZ-Gives page*, and any other relevant links!)