Shedding a little light on the illumination issue

Many Cold Creek residents have expressed concern that we’re losing our mantle of darkness.

As development intensifies, outdoor lighting diminishes the rural quality many of us moved here to enjoy.

This concern is not just local. Realizing that intensive outdoor lighting is another form of pollution that impairs the quality of life, citizens nationwide are drafting ordinances to protect their night sky. Tucson passed one that forbids residents from spilling light onto neighboring properties.

Even the notion that lights create better security is in question; law enforcement officials find that bright lights create deeper shadows in which criminals can hide.

In Cold Creek, excessive lighting contributes to foraging difficulties for frogs, habitat degradation for bobcats and a proliferation of crows, which gain advantage over owls and are linked to the disappearance of other raptors.

To preserve Cold Creek’s darkness, begin with a frank assessment of your own outdoor lights.

Take a walk or ride down the road after dark, look homeward and ask yourself:

•Are my lights necessary for safety and security?

•Do they illuminate more than my driveway and walkway?

•Do I light my home’s exterior so that the very house appears as a beacon?

•Are my lights directed downward, or do they shine like spotlights onto my neighbors’ bedroom windows?

•Does my driveway/street number light blind oncoming motorists?

•Can I see my lights from a distance? Is the distance measured in miles?

•Do my lights shine all night long?

•Do my lights shine into the habitat of frogs, bobcats and other wild creatures?

For help in preserving your own night sky, visit www.darksky.org, Website of the International Dark Sky Association.

You’ll find critiques of lighting fixtures, suggestions for approaching neighbors who over-illuminate your property and information on the impact of light pollution on astronomy and the natural world.

Cold Creek Community Council

Calabasas