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A Personal Pledge for Conserving our Night Sky

View from Upper Capitol Creek Rd.  Photo Courtesy Martha Ferguson

PLEASE HELP US IN CONSERVING OUR NIGHT SKY

WildSky Old Snowmass has received overwhelming support of our vision to become an International Dark Sky Community. Letters of recommendation have come from the Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners, Aspen Education Foundation, Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, Wilderness Workshop, Roaring Fork Audubon, Aspen Valley Land Trust, Crystal Valley Environmental Protection Association, Design Workshop, Aspen Skiing Company and the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona (first International Dark Sky Association designation in the world in October, 2001).

* Join us by signing our email list below to show your support for our mission and to get updates, calls to action, listing of programs and activities to participate in, and other important information delivered directly to your inbox!

* Make a Personal PLEDGE to actively pursue turning out lights when not in use, using motion sensors or timers as an easy and efficient way to turn outdoor lights off, buying appropriate LED lights for your interiors and exteriors of your home (see article below), shield downlight exterior lighting so as not to create light trespass on your neighbors’ properties. Unplug all exterior holiday lights by January 30th each year.

Even an extraordinary amount of light escapes into the night sky from inside the home. Using shades at night for privacy and to hold light in will prevent even more night sky-invading light.  The use of dimmers, timers and LED  bulbs on the lower end of the lumen and kelvin scales (golden light) will also help.

These actions will do wonders with reducing light pollution. Most are also already part of the Pitkin County Lighting Code, referenced below. Attached too is the International Dark Sky Association’s Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting. This information will help you make smart choices and at the same time, protect the beauty of where we live.

How to Control Light to Protect the Night

https://darksky.org/resources/guides-and-how-tos/lighting-principles/

* Check out what some of our other sister communities are doing to combat light pollution; all of these are places we love to visit and play in, and there are many, many more.