4/26/2009 4:50:00 AM Dark Skies Week Commitment to Darkness
“Milky Way” by David Wymer
Besides Flagstaff, Cottonwood, Sedona and Camp Verde have adopted Dark Skies ordinances.
This is the year
2009 is the International Year of Astronomy, promoted by UNESCO, celebrating 400 years since Galileo Galilei first demonstrated his telescope and changed our understanding of the universe.
There are ongoing global events advancing astronomy and all of its aspects to all parts of the world. Visit www.astronomy2009.org.
On the rim above the Verde Valley is arrayed at least a dozen large telescopes operated by private organizations, universities and the government.
They are among dozens spread across Arizona, making it the second busiest state in the nation when it comes to astronomical and planetary observation. Only Hawaii is busier.
They are here for two reasons -- clear nights and dark skies.
In the last 50 years, the weather patterns have not changed. We still have predominantly cloud free nights.
But the darkness is not what it used to be.
As communities have continued to grow across the state, so have the tell tale sign of their existence -- specifically the amount of light they throw across the landscape and upward into the sky.
In 1958, the City of Flagstaff passed Ordinance 400, an innocuous and somewhat simple addition to the town code forbidding the use of advertising spotlights. It came about after a request from the astronomers at Lowell Observatory.
Today, it is considered to be the birth of the "dark skies," movement, an effort by thousands of individuals and organizations to reduce the "light pollution" threatening to obscure our view of perhaps the most awe-inspiring natural wonder we possess -- the heavens.
This week marks National Dark Skies Week -- an opportunity for those who believe a view of one trillion stars is as much a god-given right as clean water, clean air and open space, to make their point.
Drive into Flagstaff today and you will see a sign at the city border welcoming you to the "World's First International Dark Skies City."
It is a title the community is proud of, not just because it is the neighborly thing to do for the folks at Lowell and the Naval Observatory, but because it is the right thing to do.
Ever since Ordinance 400, Flagstaff, and the rest of the state, has taken the lead in developing lighting codes that allow for safe and sane lighting on the ground, while keeping trespass into the night sky at a minimum.
In the 1970s astronomer David Crawford of Kitt Peak Observatory became concerned with the amount of light from Tucson that was infiltrating the observatory's night vision. He and others began lobbying for more stringent limits on lighting in Pima County.
The ordinances developed from that movement were adopted around the state, including Flagstaff, Tucson and, believe it or not, communities in the Phoenix valley.
It doesn't take an astrophysicist to realize that something went terribly wrong, at least in Phoenix.
"It's not that the ordinance was technically flawed," says Chris Luginbuhl, astronomer with the Naval Observatory in Flagstaff. "But I think the dark sky movement was still learning about how the world works. You can't just write a law, put it on the books and go back to sleep."
And therein lies the movement's biggest obstacle.
"It works in Flagstaff because the entire community supports it," says Bob Millis, director of Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff.
Millis believes the State of Arizona needs a greater commitment from its communities if it is to save Arizona's 30-plus observatories and $250 million economy associated with them.
"It's going to take some leadership. I don't believe we have that, yet," Millis says. "We can change if we want to."
Kim Patten, programs director at the International Dark-Sky Association, says astronomy is not the only cause behind the dark skies movement. She cites the impact on human and wildlife alike of being under lights 24 hours a day.
"The constant state of twilight we're in is affecting us," she says. Recent studies are linking constant man-made light exposure to certain cancers. Meanwhile, urban lights discourage many animals from coming out to feed at night and they can starve.
"We're about educating the public to think about what lights we're using and when we're using it," Patten says. "If you turn off your kitchen light when you're not using it, why not turn off your porch light? If you're concerned about safety, get a motion sensor and you can save energy while keeping your property safe."
In spite of light on the larger landscape, and especially the glow from the south, both Millis and Luginbuhl are encouraged by what they see in the Verde Valley. Every community with the exception of Jerome has adopted a dark skies ordinance in one form or another.
"Sedona is whole-heartedly behind it. Cottonwood got community consensus before they adopted their ordinance. And Camp Verde's a bit more difficult, but we eventually got one adopted," Luginbuhl says.
The Verde Valley codes are all patterned after Flagstaff's.
"We appreciate what is being done in the Verde," Millis says. "Within a couple of years the Discovery Channel Telescope will see its first light. Today, if you know where to look to the east from the intersection of Interstate 17 and General Crook Trail, you can see the dome being built.
"It's obvious to us and hopefully obvious to the people in the Verde Valley, that the telescope's ability to see the sky will be impacted in the valley's commitment to keeping the sky dark."
Posted: Sunday, May 03, 2009
Article comment by:
Nancy Snyder
Thank you for your article. I live in Lampliter Village in Clarkdale where unshielded 60 watt cfl's have been installed every 60 to 80 feet at the roadway. I have written to the manager along with concerns about glare affecting aging eyes and was totally dismissed. Do you have any idea how else I might approach this issue? I wear sunglasses when I walk at night here.
