Dark Skies in the Tahosa Valley

Do you remember walking out on a clear night and seeing the Milky Way? Over 80% of the country has never seen the night sky like we do…but our skies are changing rapidly. Excess light from the Front Range cities combined with our highly illuminated summer camps, lodges and homes are making it harder to distinguish stars and planets. Besides the effect on people, it also affects migrating birds and nighttime hunters. Bright lights can confuse their reactions and their natural instincts.

The solution to over illumination is actually very simple. Here’s an illustration:

By shielding our lights, we can save money (less electricity used), see what we’re trying to illuminate better and preserve our nighttime skies.

Here are some suggestions to consider to make your lighting more effective:

The benefits of shielding lights and using them most effectively are very straightforward for you and for the night skies. Companies that sell outdoor lighting can be expected to make recommendations on the best options to address this need.

Resources: There are International, National, State and County chapters of Dark Skies. For more information, please visit http://darkskycolorado.org or https://darksky.org