Dr. David L. Crawford
International Dark-Sky Association

Abstract.  A number of things have been clear to me for a
long time.  Light pollution is a very important topic, for
professional and amateur astronomers, and for the general
public.  Mankind's clear view of the universe that we live in
is fading away in most locales, and indeed for many
observatories.  We can not let this happen.  We must educate
ourselves about the many problems and about the potential
solutions, then help educate everyone else.  Those now active
in this mission need our full support.  Fortunately, the
momentum is growing, but it has a long way to go.

It is important to our cause of  protecting dark skies that we
recognize that many others win if we do.  We get better
visibility at night, hence better safety and security, the ambiance
of our cities will improve, we save a great deal of energy, and
we now know that even human health and the ecological system
will be improved.  Building awareness and overcoming the
inertia to become involved and make positive progress are the
main problems.

This meeting has shown that there is increasing attention being
paid, and it has done a good job of illustrating some of these
issues.  The Working Group and the IDA are very active, and
their web sites offer a good deal of information to everyone.  It
is long past time for everyone interested in the nighttime
environment to be involved.