Newsletter

May 2026 Issue 75
Contact us at newsletter@BlancoCountyNightSky.org
75 supporting households including
28 Lifetime Household members
plus 8 Business members including
4 Lifetime Business Members
1,313 Facebook Group Members
609 Instagram Followers
16 SQMs (Sky Quality Meters) installed
in the Blanco County SQM Cluster

ART CONTEST WINNERS "WILDLIFE NEED THE DARK"
Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky (BCFNS) would like to present the winners of our 2026 Art Contest, "Wildlife Need the Dark". The students researched how lights at night affect animals and then put what they learned into a piece of art.

Many thanks to Ms. Diane Hudson, art teacher at LBJ High School and 8th Grade Middle School and Mr. Kris Baker, art teacher at Blanco Middle School for allowing their students to participate. BCFNS will be sharing the winning artwork in the coming weeks on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/BCFNS

Blanco Middle School Winners: Top, left to right: Kris Baker (Art Teacher), Honorable Mention: Aubree Guisar (8th grade) and Brody Painter (7th grade); Molly Clark (3rd – 6th grade), Natalia Specjal (2nd – 6th grade), Elle Sims (1st – 8th grade), Mila Florio (3rd – 7th grade), Jackson Pulliam (Honorable Mention – 7th grade). Bottom, left to right: Nereyda Garcia (1st – 7th grade), Luci Slubar (2nd – 7th grade), Joselyn Barcenas (Honorable Mention – 6th grade) Alyssa Snodgrass (Honorable Mention – 8th grade), Aileen Alcala (1st – 6th grade), Vicki Guidry (VP, BCFNS)

LBJ High School Winners. Back Row, left to right: Vicki Guidry (VP, BCFNS), Alan Bruno (1st), Yaretzi Torres (4th), Taylor Luckie (5th), Katie Shannan (2nd), Kaylie Clark (Honorable Mention), Barbara Hudson (Secretary, BCFNS). Front Row, left to right: Zoe Dudley (Honorable Mention), Daniel Axtell (Original Idea/Concept), Gracelyn Stevens (3rd)

Left to Right: Diane Hudson (Art Teacher) with 8th Grade Winners, Ryann Gorum (3rd) and Hope Jung (2nd)

ANNUAL GATHERING
The BCFNS Annual Gathering was held on April 29, 2026, at Gem of the Hills in Blanco. Refreshments were served and social time was enjoyed by all. Wayne Gosnell, President presented a slideshow of pictures over the years and told our story. Former Board Members were presented a keepsake book of these pictures. You can view this presentation by clicking on this link, then click "next page": https://www.blancocountynightsky.org/history.php

Winning artwork from our contest was on display. Ms. Diane Hudson was presented a gift in celebration of her retirement as Art Teacher in Johnson City. We look forward to her continued support of BCFNS. Member Charles Edmiston informed us of his intention to upgrade his membership to Lifetime status for which we are extremely grateful. Read his story below.

Wayne Gosnell, President BCFNS

Jack Petersen, Hill Country Astronomers

Katie Shannan and Diane Hudson

Diane Hudson and Vicki Guidry, VP BCFNS

WHAT IS CoAPT?
"Blanco Coalition on Awareness, Prevention, and Treatment of Substance Abuse" (CoAPT) hosted its ninth annual Safe and Drug Free Wellness Fair at Blanco High School on April 30, 2026. This event has been expanded to include all kinds of Health Issues. BCFNS was able to share the importance of darkness in promoting good health by passing out a flyer prepared by DarkSky International. You can read the article at https://darksky.org/resources/what-is-light-pollution/effects/human-health/

AND… you can print the flyer to share with family, friends and neighbors. Most people don't realize the effect of light pollution on your health.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mfNMrxYCb5B_CzIbNn2uNmzes22_gmMn/view

Vicki Guidry, Vice President and Barbara Hudson, Secretary handed out Moon Pies, Star Crackers and Milky Way candy to children and their parents who stopped by to receive our handout.

NEWEST LIFETIME MEMBERS
Please welcome Charles Edmiston and his wife, Susan Dozier; our newest Lifetime Members. They were already members but decided to upgrade that membership to lifetime status. BCFNS truly appreciates this most generous support of our efforts.

Charles is a photographer, conservationist, professional chef, and stay at home Dad. He used to work for TPWD and says he has been in the Big Bend area at least 200 times and knows every inch of the desert down there…in the Park, the Ranch, and beyond.

You can also become a member; visit our website and be sure to scroll through all the options:
https://www.blancocountynightsky.org/membership.php

Charles Edmiston and Susan Dozier

NEXT BOARD MEETING – Date Change
NOTE: Our normal Board Meeting date has been changed to June 24, 2026 @ 9:00 am at Texas Regional Bank in Blanco. This is a one-time only date change! Future meetings will continue to be held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. You are welcome to join us.

FREE ONE YEAR MEMBERSHIP WITH PURCHASE OF A SIGN
If you have been thinking of joining BCFNS or renewing your membership, you can still take advantage of our special offering of a free one-year membership ($20) with the purchase of a sign ($35 tax included). A membership sign is the best publicity the night sky can have and it's a great way to let others know that you care about the night sky and perhaps make them curious about the organization.

For more information on all our membership options click here: Membership Options

THIS NEWSLETTER
We hope you enjoy our newsletter and are always looking for ways to make it better and more enjoyable. To that end, we invite your suggestions, comments and ideas for articles. In fact, if you would like to write an article to be published in our newsletter, we will certainly consider including it. Please send them to: newsletter@blancocountynightsky.org

Remember we are a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Please consult your accountant or tax adviser for details regarding deductibility for your donation.

If you would rather not receive these newsletters, just reply "No thank you" and we'll purge you from the list with no hard feelings.