Mystery is a resource, like coal or gold, and its preservation is a fine thing. -Tim Cahill
by Christina Ammon
Over the years, I’ve hosted many guests on my Ruch property. When night falls, they often look up and marvel at the dark sky above—so many stars!
It’s through their eyes that I’ve begun to appreciate just how lucky we are to have such an undisturbed star-scape overhead. It turns out that Southern Oregon is one of the darkest places in the contiguous United States. In fact, Lake County’s Oregon Outback is pending approval to become the largest ‘Dark Sky Sanctuary’ in the world!
Click on thumnail to watch the award-winning film Saving the Dark
It’s no wonder visitors are so starry-eyed; 80-percent of Americans can no longer see the Milky Way from where they live. This is due to the way artificial light has proliferated across the country. From street lights to car lots, we can’t seem to get enough “Artificial Light At Night”– or “ALAN” to use Dark Sky lingo.
Unfortunately, a full 30-percent of this light is “wasted” –which means that it escapes upward, uselessly illuminating the night sky. This could be easily remedied with better placement and design.
The effects of “ALAN” are not merely aesthetic. Outdoor lighting upsets the circadian rhythms of the insects and wildlife in our valley. It makes sense: Have you ever tried to sleep with the lights on? Night lights confuse animal migration patterns, feeding routines –and even disrupts their sex lives!
A 2017 German study indicated that the global population of flying insects has dropped by more than 75-percent over the last three decades. Some of this is attributed to artificial lighting, which causes them to die from exhaustion, or as prey (so your garden pollinators a favor and keep the lights down!).
Humans are affected, too: Light pollution has links to obesity, depression, sleep disorders and heart disease. Not to mention high energy bills!
How dark is your community? Click this thumbnail to find out.
The Applegate Valley is unlikely to ever be as dark as the Oregon Outback, but there is much we can do as property owners to minimize “light trespass” on our neighbors and animals—and to keep dazzling visitors with our beautiful night skies!
Here are five tips for good outdoor lighting:
Useful: All lights should have a clear purpose. Consider using reflective paints, or self-illuminating markers for signs, steps and curbs to reduce the use of permanently-installed lighting
Targeted: Direct light only where it’s needed. Use shielding and careful aiming to target the direction of the light beam so that it points downward.
Low light levels: Use the lowest level required.
Controlled: Use it only when it’s useful. Use timers, motion detectors, and dimmers.
Color: Use warmer color bulbs. Limit the amount of shorter wavelength blue-violet light.
To learn more, visit DarkSky International.
Interested in preserving the Applegate Valley’s night skies? Contact: [email protected]
