{"id":4732,"date":"2017-12-26T10:32:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-26T17:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/forestcamping.com\/blog\/2009\/12\/21\/light-pollution\/"},"modified":"2017-12-05T10:33:08","modified_gmt":"2017-12-05T17:33:08","slug":"light-pollution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forestcamping.com\/dow\/suzi\/light-pollution\/","title":{"rendered":"Light Pollution"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>\u00a0A light pollution map<\/div>\n
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If you have spent any time in a national forest or grassland west of the Mississippi River, it is likely you have noticed the night sky.\u00a0 The sky appears bigger, taller, wider.\u00a0 It also seems darker and has more stars that sparkle, not just twinkle.\u00a0 The Milky Way is clearly visible.<\/p>\n

There are some locations that pride themselves on their magnificent night sky.\u00a0 Places like Grandview campground in the Inyo National Forest, Toodstool Park in the Oglala National Grassland in Nebraska and Lakeview campground in the Coronado National Forest in Arizona have wonderful star-grazing opportunities.\u00a0 So what do these campgrounds have in common?\u00a0 First, they have limited a \u201coverstory\u201d so trees don\u2019t get in the way.\u00a0 And they are well away from major light sources a.k.a. major metropolitan areas.<\/p>\n

Light pollution is becoming a serious problem across the country for star-grazer.\u00a0 There are several interesting videos on You Tube showing the impact of light pollution on the night sky.<\/p>\n

Light pollution is described as the \u201cmisdirected or misused of artificial light generally resulting from an inappropriate application of exterior lighting products.\u201d\u00a0 Some claim light pollution is not only detracts from our view of the night sky but the over use of exterior lights is harmful to the environment since it requires electric power to be generated.<\/p>\n

I remember driving across country as a child some 50 years ago.\u00a0 With no air conditioning in the car, traveling in the desert was done at night and the night sky was amazing.\u00a0 Somewhere in the Southwest we crested a hill and down there as a town.\u00a0 I could tell it was a town because there were rows of lights.\u00a0 It was Gallop, NM.\u00a0 Today, Gallop has enough lights, point up, down, across and out, you can see it\u2019s glow long before you top that crest.\u00a0 As you can see from the map above, it is much the same from coast to coast.\u00a0 Can you pick out the Los Angeles basin in California, Miami, FL, or maybe the metro-area nearest you?<\/p>\n

Light is a good thing.\u00a0 It helps us see.\u00a0 It keeps us safe.\u00a0 It is a beacon that leads us home.\u00a0 But, like everything else, shouldn\u2019t we be using it judiciously?\u00a0 There is a street light near our house that shines on about 60 steps that lead to several other homes above us.\u00a0 That light also shines into bedroom windows.\u00a0 I call that light pollution.\u00a0 I\u2019ve good night-time shade to reduce the light but wonder if the city couldn\u2019t adjust that street light so the light is better directed away from the bedroom windows?<\/p>\n

The citizens of Tucson and Flagstaff, AZ are seriously aware light pollution caused by street lights and the exterior lights on homes.\u00a0 There are rules that must be followed.\u00a0 The night sky isn\u2019t as dark as someplace here in Arizona but Tucson and Flagstaff are better than other places like Phoenix, AZ and Las Vegas, NV.<\/p>\n

The problem of light pollution doesn\u2019t get a whole lot of press.\u00a0 And I doubt many of us give it a thought until it keeps us from our sleep or when we are away from home and enjoying time in our national forest.\u00a0 Maybe the next time you look up from your campfire and see the Milky Way reaching across the velvet black of the night, you\u2019ll think about what you might do to reduce the light pollution in your neighborhood.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t have to be much, just a start.<\/p>\n

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