Westcliffe & Silver Cliff
A Tribute to Jim Bradburn
Guardian of Our Dark Skies
To The World,
I am so saddened by the passing of Jim Bradburn. The world’s people were so blessed to live in Jim ’s presence for the time he shared his life with all of us. I once asked him what his philosophy was to so calmly deal with the mayhem surrounding him. His answer was THE FOUR AGREEMENTS, A Toltec Wisdom Book by Don Miguel Ruiz. I keep it on my night stand beside my bed to remind me. And I think of Jim.
So let me recall my interactions with Jim over the years. In 2006/2007 Jim first showed up for a couple of Dark Skies meetings. But as he volunteered to help with more and more projects, I learned that at his home, Rancho Bendito, he had built a guest casita adjacent to his very own observatory. Jim’s knowledge of telescopes and astronomy eclipsed that of most of our members. When we voted him to be the new President in 2011, both our membership and our activity within the community exploded. Compliant dark sky lightning for the street lights, a multitude of local businesses, government buildings, and private citizens were all changed for FREE! A Speaker’s Bureau was set up to educate the public on light trespass and how good lighting works. Letters were written to the three electric companies serving our area requesting they only use dark sky compliant lighting when replacing any lights in their service area. A former astronaut was invited to speak to the public and at the local school. Free public workshops were conducted on how to purchase and use a good telescope.
In order to instruct the local populace about what they are seeing in our pristine night skies, Dark Skies started local star gazing parties. Which then prompted Jim to donate his own observatory’s telescope for the Smokey Jack Observatory. That way he could purchase a different one for himself. And he convinced local businesses like Ace Hardware and Beach Concrete to donate the building supplies and help construct the observatory which he had designed. Next, the two of us worked to develop and convince the Town Boards of Westcliffe and Silver Cliff to adopt Lighting Ordinances that would protect the skies in the two towns from more light encroachment. Finally, we provided the International Dark Skies Association (now DarkSky International) with area light meter readings and enough citizen backing to certify the Towns of Westcliffe and Silver Cliff to become Colorado’s FIRST certified Dark Skies towns. Jim was also on the committee to preserve Bluff Park, at the west end of Main Street, where the SJO sits. And he engineered the construction and donation of the amphitheater area to serve the observatory.
As Jim’s health started to fade, he still attended meetings when he was not up in Denver receiving treatment. And his voice, opinions, and connections to others in the community were still vibrant. At his suggestion, a possible local scholarship committee was formed, resulting in the Dark Skies Sam Frostman STEM Scholarship of $20,000 for Custer County students. And he even tried to ameliorate the bad feelings between the Saddle Club and their blaring lights with Dark Skies’ wish for less light trespass.
But alas, the human body can only do so much for so long. To me, Jim was a teacher on how to listen patiently, speak to others with kindness, and always have a sense of humor. He will be greatly missed.
With great admiration,
Susan “Sam” Frostman
Experience a one of a kind interactive journey through space
in Colorado’s First ever Certified Dark Skies Community!
The Planet Walk is a 4 billion to 1 true to scale interpretive walk through our Solar System.
“I’ve never seen so many stars!”
Dark Skies, Inc. of the wet Mountain Valley led the effort for the towns of Westcliffe and Silver Cliff, Colorado to be certified as an International Dark Sky Community by DarkSky. We are the 1st to attain this distinction in Colorado, 9th in the world, and one of the highest anywhere!
We are proud to be a member of DarkSky, the recognized authority on light pollution and the world leading organization combating light pollution worldwide. As certified Dark Skies Communities, Westcliffe and Silver Cliff were the first to be certified in Colorado and we are still one of the world’s highest altitude certified Dark Skies Community!
Preserve
Since 1999, Dark Skies Inc. has helped citizens and businesses replace light polluting fixtures with shielded units that direct the necessary light downwards. We also work directly with the local community to provide information on what actions they can take to preserve our amazing night sky.
Educate
Education is one of the foundational goals of our mission statement. As part of our educational efforts, we work directly with students and the local school district to encourage learning about astronomy. We recently donated astronomy books to the Custer County Elementary to support our educational outreach. Furthermore, to encourage local students to pursue degrees in science and technology, we are proud to announce the formation of a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) scholarship program open to all students in Custer County.
Experience
"I've never seen so many stars!" is commonly exclaimed by first-time visitors to Colorado's first, and ninth in the world, certified International Dark Sky communities of Westcliffe & Silver Cliff, located in Southern Colorado's historic Wet Mountain Valley between the Wet Mountain and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges. As two of the highest altitude Dark Skies towns in the world, combined with the preservation efforts of the community, spectacular views of the Milky Way can be seen, even from lighted Main Street!
Public Star Parties
FREE public star parties are scheduled from May to October based on current astronomical events. Join us and experience our powerful, state of the art telescope at the Smokey Jack Observatory!
Speaker series
Join us for one of our educational speakers series events! Learn how to take professional photos of the night sky, how Native peoples viewed and interpreted the stars, how to choose a telescope, and much more!
Monthly Meetings
Interested in finding out more about Dark Skies Colorado and helping to preserve our amazing Dark Skies in the Wet Mountain Valley? Then join us at one of our monthly board meetings.
