Light Pollution

Night Lights May Affect Urban Birds

The City of Santa Rosa is mentioned here. (Audubon online:)
(We may have some friends and neighbors here that could be helfpful to this Dairyman Porposal cause.)

Birds exposed to artificial light in cities get an early start to mating season.
Dominoni explains that the city birds might even experience a disadvantage, laying eggs before there is enough food available for their young. Luckily, cities from Paris, France, to Santa Rosa, California, are starting to see the light and put in place rules to go dark at night, a move intended to save energy that also helps birds.

This story originally ran in the May-June 2013 issue as "Dark Side of Light."
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Light Pollution Matters

The sun, the moon and the stars would have disappeared long ago . . . had they happened to be within the reach of predatory human hands. — Havelock Ellis, The Dance of Life, 1923

Thank God men cannot fly, and lay waste the sky as well as the earth. — Henry David Thoreau, 1861

Ellis could not have predicted the revolutionary impact artificial lights would have on our planet any more than Thoreau could have predicted powered flight.

Less than 100 years ago, everyone could look up at a spectacular starry night sky. Now, millions of children across the globe will never experience the Milky Way where they live.

Light pollution not only impairs our view of the Universe, it hurts the planet by increasing energy consumption, wasting money and harming the health and safety of humans and wildlife.

What is Light Pollution?

Light pollution is excessive or inappropriate outdoor lighting. Common forms of light pollution include:
■ Glare – excessive brightness that causes visual discomfort
■ Sky glow – brightening of the night sky over inhabited areas
■ Light trespass – light falling where it is not intended or needed
■ Clutter – bright, confusing and excessive groupings of light sources

How Bad is Light Pollution Near You?

To find out how bad light pollution is where you live use the NASA Blue Marble Navigator (right) for a bird's eye view of the lights in your town and check out the Globe at Night interactive light pollution map (left) data created with 8 years of data collected by citizen scientists.

You Can Help Save our Stars!
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