The Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County is throwing open its doors after dark on Saturday, Nov. 7, for the third annual Festival of the Night, a two-hour celebration of everything that comes alive once the sun goes down. The grounds at 687 Larch Ave. in Teaneck will fill with telescopes, science exhibits, games and food from 6 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 7, with admission set at $10 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and younger.
According to the society's own description of the gathering, as posted on ethicalfocus.org, guests can expect to “enjoy astronomy, science exhibits, food, fun, and games” while the event explores the night sky and the wildlife that only shows up once darkness falls. As reported by DailyVoice.com, visitors will be able to peer through a telescope and later gather around a campfire lit in the society's own parking lot.
Pollinators, a Historic Collection and Student Volunteers
Laura Hoogstrate, a naturalist at Flat Rock Brook Nature Center, is scheduled to give a presentation on nighttime pollinators and bring along a historic collection for attendees to examine, the outlet notes. Steve Mariconda, who chairs DarkSky New Jersey and belongs to the Ethical Culture Society, is also set to speak; DarkSky New Jersey operates as a chapter of DarkSky International, an organization dedicated to reducing light pollution and protecting the night sky, wildlife and natural ecosystems. Students from Montclair State University and Fairleigh Dickinson University will help lead activities throughout the evening, per the same account.
Mariconda has addressed similar territory before. At a separate event billed as “Dark Sky” and hosted by New Jersey Audubon, he was identified as a DarkSky delegate who discussed light pollution and its environmental impact in New Jersey. That organization's event page describes him as an environmental advocate and graduate student at Rutgers School of Public Health.
Why the Dark Matters for Insects
The stakes behind the festival's nocturnal theme are more than aesthetic. A Swiss study highlighted by DarkSky International found that lit meadows saw 62% fewer insect visits, 29% fewer pollinators and 13% fewer fruits on cabbage thistle plants compared with unlit control plots. The organization notes that artificial light can interfere with pollination by misdirecting nocturnal pollinators and disrupting plants' circadian rhythms, adding that insects like bees, moths and beetles are the largest group of animals that help carry out the process.
Separately, guidance from the New Jersey Pinelands Commission recommends leaning on native plants in garden design, since many ornamental varieties produce little or no pollen and nectar. The festival's blend of stargazing, pollinator science and hands-on activities gives Teaneck families a close look at a nighttime world that researchers say is increasingly crowded out by artificial light.
