About the Speaker

Karen Treviño has spent the past fifteen years in different capacities with the U.S. National Park Service. She is currently Chief of the NPS Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division (NSNSD) which works to advance the mission of the National Park Service by “preserving and restoring acoustic and photic environments throughout the National Park System by working in partnership with parks and partners to increase scientific understanding and inspire public appreciation of natural sounds and night skies”.

In addition to her role as a member of the senior leadership team of Natural Resource Stewardship and Science directorate of the NPS, Karen sits on the NPS National Resource Advisory Group, the National Parks Overflights Advisory Group, the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas/Urban Parks Specialist Group Dark Sky Advisory Group, the Federal Interagency Committee on Aviation Noise. She spent ten years on the NPS National Wilderness Leadership Council.

Prior to her positions with the U.S. National Park Service, Karen was Director of Environmental Affairs for ASG Renaissance; served as Senior Counselor to the Assistant Secretary for Fish Wildlife and Parks at the U.S. Department of Interior and in that capacity headed the US World Heritage delegation; was an attorney in private practice in Washington DC specializing in natural resource law and policy; served as a legislative affairs specialist for the World Wildlife Fund US; and worked on Capitol Hill.

Ms. Treviño received a BA from Michigan State University and completed her JD at the Washington College of Law at the American University in Washington DC where she specialized in international environmental and natural resource law and policy. While in law school in Washington, D.C., Karen interned at The Nature Conservancy and the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service.

Karen was the keynote speaker at the New Zealand Starlight Conference in 2019 and participated in the Climate Group's LED Scale Up Financial Roundtable meetings.

The National Park Service preserves natural lightscapes and works to minimize the effects that outdoor lighting can have not just on dark night skies, but also on wildlife, visitor enjoyment, health and safety, cultural resources and wilderness character. Karen Treviño, the Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division Chief will share her experiences, successes and challenges in turning a small, little known program into a national success and discuss how outdoor lighting can affect national park resources and values in this inspiring LightFair Keynote.

Some of the best places to stargaze in the United States are in national parks. Staring at the night sky with the light band of the Milky Way streaking overhead is a quintessential experience for many national park visitors. Astronomy-based recreation is one of the fastest growing visitor programs in U.S. national parks.

Even national parks near or within urban areas with less than pristine conditions often serve as refuges of relatively dark night skies. Against a backdrop rich with purples, blues and shades of black, a blaze of stars glittering across a vast empty sky spurs our curiosity about the past, while inspiring us to ponder the future. For millennia, the night sky has been a collective canvas for our stories, maps, traditions, beliefs, and discoveries.

However, light from park facilities and the cumulative glow of nearby towns and cities are diminishing this important resource. The loss of visual quality of the night sky and the introduction of light into naturally dark environments contribute to a variety of effects on park ecosystems.