[Vision2020] lighting ordinance is not a trivial matter

[Fiat Lux]

Greetings all,

If you have not already checked out the in-depth and
informative International Dark-Skies Association web
site, please do.  It does an excellent job of
outlining the very real concerns about light pollution
and offers wonderful, constructive solutions that we
can all appreciate.

http://www.darksky.org/index.html

It would be great if we could get all the folks to
understand that this is no laughing matter.  It would
be wonderful if everyone would just voluntarily
replace their existing light polluting, energy
wasting, outdoor lighting fixtures with some of the
ones highlighted in the "fixtures" section of the
above site.   As a community, we have a chance to do
something that will have a lasting and positive impact
on the area in which we live.   We should embrace this
opportunity, not turn it into a joke.

The natural beauty of Idaho is a big part of what
makes it a great place to live and play and raise our
families.  We may not be able to convince some people
of the negative environmental impact of letting their
livestock trample through the waterways, but we can
always hope that the people who cling so fiercely to
their glaringly hideous, "barn bomb" style, mercury
vapor lights will leave ignorance behind and somehow
come to understand that there is a better way.

I am inspired by the many communities all over the
U.S. have adopted specific lighting ordinances to
address light pollution.  Check out the Dark Skies
Northwest link below to  see lighting ordinances of
some other Idaho communities that realize the wisdom
of preserving and protecting our dark Idaho skies.   
http://www.scn.org/darksky/code/index.html

Kudos to Hailey, Ketchum and unincorporated Ada
County!   Someday soon I hope to see Latah County on
the list too.


		
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