Saving Dark Skies is worth some thought.
At one time, the preservation of dark skies was a consideration only in
areas around observatories so that light scattering in the sky did not
interfere with telescope operations. However, it has now become an issue of
concern to fast growing small towns all over the nation where people no longer
have a clear view of the night sky they once had.
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| Figure 1 Satellite view of the mainland U.S. |
If you enlarge Figure
1, you will see it will have taken only 75 years from the late 1950s to reach
the projected light pollution density expected in the U.S. in 2025. That is only 6 years from now.
The International
Dark Skies Association (IDA) works with communities across the country to
develop better lighting practices that cut the glare and sky scattering by focusing
on task lighting and directing the light down rather than up and out. As an
additional benefit is that our energy consumption is significantly reduced. The
IDA is not against lighting it is simply for lighting that does the job in the
best possible way.
Here in our area of
Texas, the city of Dripping Springs was the first town to work actively to
become a dark sky-certified place. It
has been followed by the City of Horseshoe Bay and the Wimberley Valley. Nearby towns that have applied to become
certified are Buda, Blanco and Fredericksburg.
The effects of
light pollution comprise many aspects; following are some of the most
important: Safety and Security, Light Trespass, Energy Waste, Nature and Human
Health.
Safety and Security.
Studies have shown that poorly designed artificial lighting which floods
an area does not prevent accidents and crime.
However, glare is a big problem.
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| Figure 2 Glare from unshielded lights |
Imagine driving down this street at
night. The American Medical Association
says, “Glare from nighttime lighting can create hazards ranging from discomfort
to visual disability.” When glare from
bright unshielded light shines into our eyes our pupils constrict. This can not only be blinding, it also makes
it more difficult for our eyes to adjust to lowlight conditions when that
becomes necessary.
It has also been
shown that unshielded bright lights which create hard, dark shadows make it easier for thieves
to case a property and see their way to a safe get away.
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| Figure 3 Shielded and unshielded effects |
Above (Figure 3) is
an example of glare causing hard shadows.
This home’s backyard is lit up at night with a blinding light. When the
glaring light is blocked the figure can
be seen in the doorway of the fence. Probably not someone the homeowner would want
to encounter in the dark.
Light Trespass. [1]
Light trespass
occurs when stray light shines onto neighboring properties. Light trespass
infringes on the property rights of the neighbors who have unwanted light
intruding onto their property. It can lower property values, reduce the quality
of the nighttime environment and be a general irritant. Wouldn’t you want to
have the full enjoyment of your property without being forced to live with
unwanted light directed onto it?
To eliminate light trespass, shield and aim
all lights on your own property so the illumination stays within your own
property lines. If you can see the source of the light, that is the
bulb or refractive lens, from a neighboring property then that light is
committing light trespass.
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| Figure 3 Light trespass |
These standing unshielded light poles are a
good example of light trespassing into the windows of the adjacent apartments
and home.
Energy Waste
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| Figure 4 Light going up and out |
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| Figure 5 Shielded lighting example |
The following photo
(Figure 6) shows that while this lighting fixture may add a nostalgic look to
the area and be 40% productive, it is really an inefficient, costly and
wasteful device being funded by the municipality’s tax payers.
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| Figure 6 Tradeoff between fashion and useful |
Preservation of the Night Sky
With our current
choices in lighting 80% of the U.S. population has never seen the Milky
Way. At Big Bend National Park, a Dark
Sky Place (2012), one can now see the light pollution from El Paso 300 miles
away. The following Texas Parks and Natural Areas also opted to become Dark Sky
Places: Copper Breaks State Park (2014, Enchanted Rock Natural Area (2014),
South Llano River State Park (2017) and Big Bend Ranch State Park (2017).
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| Figure 7 The Milky Way |
According to IDA “Experiencing the night
sky provides perspective, inspiration, and leads us to reflect on our humanity
and place in the universe. The history of scientific discovery and even human
curiosity itself is indebted to the natural night sky.
Without the natural night sky we could not
have:
·
Navigated the globe
·
Walked on the Moon
·
Learned of our expanding universe
·
Discovered
that humans are made of “stardust “
Wildlife and Ecosystems
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| Figure 8 Confused Sea Turtle |
Figure 8 shows an
exhausted sea turtle that cannot find her way back to the water after laying
her eggs, all because of reflected
artificial light which upsets the natural light’s reflection on the water. When
the little turtles hatch, they will have the same problem finding the path to
the sea.
Frogs won’t call for
mates if there is too much light at night.
And, the 120 species of fireflies, each having a little different blink will
only mate if they see their own species.
Small animals that hunt at night increasingly become prey and even night
blooming flowers aren’t in sync with their pollinators. And the list goes on
and on.
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| Figure 9 The well lit city |
Cities like this one
shown in Figure 9 with unregulated night lighting in the paths of migratory
birds are lethal and need to join a “Lights Out” program.
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| Figure 10 Effect of Artificial light on crop growth |
The red areas of
these soy fields have already been harvested while the green areas under
constant natural and artificial light have not yet ripened.
Human Health
Much research is now
being done in the realm of light and how its wave lengths affect us. We know how it can affect our
eyes, skin, immune
system and sleep. The last two have to
do with our production of melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone made by our body’s
pineal gland. The eyes’ retina when
exposed to light stimulates a nerve pathway to the hypothalamus in the brain
which has a special center, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The SCN initiates signals to other parts of
the brain that control hormones and other functions that make us feel wide awake
or sleepy. SCN signals melatonin production
around 9 p.m. as long as there are no bright lights (think natural light from
far away stars and moon. Even a bright
refrigerator light on for just 3 seconds can interfere with melatonin
production). In the morning, with the advance of natural light, melatonin
production slows to low levels for the day around 9 a.m. when SCN begins
raising the body’s temperature and releasing stimulating hormones like
cortisol.
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| Figure 11 Darkness and circadian rhythms |
Some of us feel that
our circadian rhythms are better served by choosing to stick to Standard Time
or Daylight Saving Time and it looks like we Texans may someday be able to vote
on our preference.
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| Figure 12 Color spectrum of various lights |
One of the most
interesting subjects we covered in the Dark Skies presentation at the San
Marcos Library was the harmful effects of blue light and how to block it. A glance at various web sites will show you
inexpensive glasses that will save your eyes from blue light emitted by LED and
fluorescent lights, tablets, phones and computer screens.
Land History---Part 2
We will pick up
from Land History---Part 1 by covering some interesting additional findings.
We thought that
there was a chance that one of the six land patent holders lived on the land
rather than viewing the land as cash or using it as grazing land. A check of the census of 1880 shows that the
Reuben Pierce family lived in this immediate area, but where they lived is hard
to determine. Census takers usually
went down the road from dwelling to dwelling so all we know from the census are
the names of his neighbors, but those neighbors may have been miles apart. Our local contact is reviewing the census sheets
to see if he can find a clue to the location of the residence from his
knowledge of the names next to the Pierce family. Right at the present, we
would like to believe the Reuben Pierce family lived for a year or so on the
tract which became part of BWR. However,
until a foundation or other physical evidence of a residence is found, this is
only specultation.
Another bit of
history shows up from probing the Pierce files.
It turns out that Reuben Pierce’s son Reuben married Callie Saunders
daughter. Yes, that’s the Saunders
family featured in the previous newsletters.
Reuben II became a preacher and died rather young. He and Callie II are buried in the Seguin
Cemetery.
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| Figure 13 Pierce gravesite in Seguin |
In the old days of
wagons and dirt trails, many people married locally as there was little
opportunity to meet others from outside the area where they lived.
Old USGS maps
(Figure 14) show a few things relating to our lands that are interesting to
note. There were only one or two roads
on the ranch, one was from the starred gate on Hugo road to the windmill on the
Vinson property. It wandered past Lake
Bridlewood and crossed from one side to the other of BWR Drive in the track to
the windmill. Wait until the next
drought and the cattle have the grass chewed down to see some of the old
vestiges of the road. Also on the USGS map are what appear to be dashed lines
representing the stone walls of the area.
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| Figure 14 USGS Survey Map |
Another way to see
the evidence of the old roads is to use Google Earth and go back to the
earliest view of the ranch that has the clarity and check the roads. The road from the starred gate to the Eakin
gate area is plainly visible.
The land survey map
of the Heep Ranch prior to its sale shows a well casing in an area somewhere on
the Stratton property. At this time, not much is known about this well, whether
it was for water or for what other purpose.
Many years ago, we picked up the rumor that the developer was planning
on dividing the 1676 acres into much smaller lots but when a test water well
was found to be lacking in water, that plan was dropped in favor of selling the
land in the configuration that we now enjoy.
The well casing may be that test well.
We will address that question when we meet with the elder Kutscher.
We plan to do more
study of rock walls since stumbling onto some rock walls in the northern part
of Hays County. There, the word is that “English
settlers” built the rock walls. There, the walls are laid up like one would lay
up a brick wall. All squared and no
mortar—the joints are chinked with small stones for stability. Some research on the subject indicates that
there are two types of stone walls from the 1800s. One kind is the squared, neat and tidy, and
the other is referred to as a dumped wall.
We have the dumped wall. The
cause for the difference may be cultural or it may be due to the kind of stones
found locally. For sure it does take a
stone of lamellar shape and our local rock is not that for sure. More on this subject later if possible.
______________Sightings
You never know when you are about to make a
good discovery, so you need to be alert to the clues. We were talking to some Master Gardeners and Master
Naturalists recently in Sattler and drifted on to the topic of the Austin
Garden Plant brochure which everyone finds to be helpful. We have always been on the lookout for a way
to buy many copies to give to friends and neighbors. They thought they had a box full of these
guides they would sell us for a dollar a copy.
But then they said “you know its online now, don’t you?” Well, we didn’t. Now, the fact that it is online is better
because with a touch screen you can enlarge the hi-def photos of the plants in
the brochure to see some detail, and, you can access the information in the
field. You can find it by searching for Austin grow green guide pdf.
R & D
