Scott Lind is a consulting electrical engineer with Mead & Hunt in Middleton, Wisconsin, where he focuses on designing sustainable and reliable electrical systems for commercial, industrial, and public facilities. With more than 30 years of experience, Scott is passionate about designing outdoor lighting that respects all the other species we share the planet with.  He has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) from Iowa State University and is a licensed professional engineer in Wisconsin. Additionally, Scott holds master electrician and commercial electrical inspector licenses in Wisconsin.

Since childhood, I have enjoyed dark star-filled nights in the rural Midwest.  In 2019, we hosted several teenagers from Germany and I was dismayed to discover that 75% of them had never seen the Milky Way before.  That experience made me realize that nighttime darkness is a gift I have taken for granted.  

Since then I have learned a lot about the negative effects of light pollution on all living beings and how rapidly light pollution is worsening.  I am not an astronomer, researcher, electrician or biologist, but simply an individual who embraces dark nights as the natural end to bright days.  If you feel the same, join us as we work to restore the day/night balance in the Kickapoo Valley and beyond. If we are willing, fixing light pollution can be as easy as flipping a switch.

Susan Cushing is a Master Naturalist, astro-educator, amateur astronomer,  and ‘Night Naturalist’. With a life-long love of wandering in the night, Susan explores and educates about dark skies and how naturally dark nights affects all of life.  Since 2010 she has been involved in astronomy programs at Kickapoo Valley Reserve, and also co-leads astronomy programs at Wildcat Mountain State Park and Mississippi Valley Conservancy lands. Through a newspaper column and radio program Susan shares the value and  beauty of dark skies and dark nights for everyone.

Don Rauls is Accounting Manager at the University of Wisconsin in the Research and Sponsored Programs Office.  I moved to the Kickapoo Valley area about 10 years ago and am impressed by the visibility of the stars versus other areas lived in.  I joined this organization to learn more about keeping the night sky visible.

I joined the Dark Sky Initiative after moving to the Driftless area last year and realizing how rapidly we are losing the night.  I came to believe that light is overrated, that too much light obscures reality making it harder to see clearly.  My first career was as an industrial electrician.  In that role, darkness was the enemy to be defeated by ever more and ever brighter lights.  My second, and last, career was as a mental health therapist where I initially saw internal darkness as a foe to be vanquished by the light of understanding.  But as the years went by, I learned that true wisdom came from a deeper dive into the dark, and that light and dark need each other to exist.  I also simply like to see the stars from which we all came, and to protect the wild things that live in the dark. Being now fully retired I have time to look, and to ponder.

Carol Wesley is passionate about the night sky. On a clear night, she can be found outside with her head tilted up observing the constellations and searching for possible meteors. She and her husband, Bruce, moved to the driftless area because of its reputation for dark skies. Now a resident of Viroqua, Carol has taken seriously the goal of the Kickapoo Valley becoming designated as an International Dark Sky Association Dark Sky Place. 

As a member of the Board of Directors, Carol’s focus has been the structuring of the Kickapoo Valley Dark Skies Initiative as an IRS 501c3 charitable corporation. Now with that objective completed, she is shifting her attention to other Initiative projects which will promote community education and awareness of dark sky issues. As well as encouraging the use of dark sky lighting to preserve the night sky for all of us to enjoy and be amazed.   

Carol, along with Susan Cushing, produce and host the program Kickapoo Night Life on WDRT 91.9 FM radio in Viroqua. The successful show focuses on preserving the night sky and provides current information about the science of dark skies, its importance to the health and wellbeing of people and all living things, and news about effective, efficient, affordable dark sky sensitive lighting. The program is also now available in podcasts through the WDRT website. 

Besides her dark skies activities, Carol is a licensed marriage and family therapist and is employed by Vernon Memorial Healthcare. She is married to Bruce Wendt and together they share their commitment to environmental protection, birding, hiking, seeking new outdoor adventures and looking at the stars