At the City Council meeting held on February 10th, city officials discussed the proposition of implementing a Dark Sky Ordinance. Public Works Director, Deston Dishion told the council members background onthe topic saying that, “A lot of cities across the entire world are a part of the movement to reduce light pollution in order to see the night sky.”
He went on to say that the proposed ordinance would allow for different zoning in Bishop depending on the levels of light pollution which can be tolerated.
There would be different zoning areas throughout town. The highest level of light pollution would be downtown of course, and then the further away from the center of the city, the darker the city would be.
“Zones make tons of sense to me. I am more than happy to pursue a Dark Skies Ordinance to see what the public thinks,” said council-member Karen Schwartz.
Stephan Muchovej also approved of the proposal. “I like the concept. Just like all the recreation opportunities we have in Bishop, the night sky is another big asset and a reason that tourists visit the area.”
The item will be up for further discussion and public comments.
Empty the jails and prisons and turn off the lights. That ought to work. The lights can be a little annoying, I’ll give you that, but I like the security in this day and age.
Simple solution for security is motion detection which would only use the light when actually needed.
During the early 70’s, I worked in the summer for Sequoia Kings pack station, guiding kids from S. California into the backcountry on burro/walking trips to Bubb’s Creek. On my first guide trip, I was stunned to hear some questions from these 5 to 14 year old inner city children… Read more »
This is a great idea!!!!! Now how about the noise pollution from the unnecessary sirens we have to tolerate in the middle of the night?
Great. Now the Liberals are ruining Bishop. What’s next. A ban on hunting? No lead fishing sinkers? Only electric ORV’s on trails. This is just more BS.
This is not a “liberal” idea. There is nothing partisan about it. It is just a matter of good engineering, planning and thoughtful application; light pollution is nothing more then wasted lighting, thus poor use of electricity. Lighting up the sky does nothing for safe travel, cycling, pedestrian, or vehicle;… Read more »
Yeah Nick. Seriously! Thanks Obama.
Nick, its got nothing to do with politics, it has to do with people’s property rights and being able to see the stars at night. Do you enjoy having your neighbor blast you and your property with lights all night? I fail to see that stopping that is a liberal… Read more »
I support the dark sky idea wholeheartedly
I don’t think we can stop progress but we can manage it.
It is not as difficult as people think to have dark skies. Some things that can be done is shielding of lights, so the light does not go up or straight out into peoples eyes. One should also consider the type of bulbs and their color, and whether there is… Read more »
Wow, what would Ben Franklin say now?????
I’m not against this at all but would be curious to hear if other areas that have tried this have had an increase in criminal activity or increased strain on law enforcement during the night hours? Although I guess you could always use motion devices that are only active when… Read more »
Preventing light pollution is not ridding the area of artificial lighting, its about decreasing the amount of light wasted up into the sky, redirecting ight sources in a way that is most effective for the intended need.
Fishing Day, Mammoth has a lighting policy, Mono County has a lighting policy. Dark sky does not call for elimination of lighting, just adjustments in where the light shines and the brightness. Usually a lighting policy is also going to be concerned with “light trespass”, a condition where neighboring lights… Read more »