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	Podcast:		Local Features by WXPR
	Episode:		Darkness Is a Resource
	Category:		Government & Organizations
	Duration:		00:04:27
	Publish Date:		2019-09-10 06:58:53
	Description:		It’s the second Tuesday of the month, which is when we hear from our commentators in the field. This week, Gretchen Gerrish of UW-Madison’s Trout Lake Station tells us about darkness as a resource. Sitting on a boat in the middle of Crystal Lake under a full moon, I can see a few stars around the sky’s perimeter, clearly see the outline of trees, differentiate the light-colored concrete of the boat landing and see the details of my student intern’s face as she rows us out to the deep spot to collect a series of water samples. Fast-forward two weeks to the night of the new-moon, and it is dark…really dark. The night sky of the Northwoods is beautiful with clear constellations readily visible above the tall tree line and the milky way visible as a smear of starlight across the center. Once my eyes adjust, I can still make out the tree line surrounding the lake and the silhouette of my student rowing to the center of the lake. As we move farther from shore the contrasting concrete of the
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