Grand Valley Dark Sky Initiative
ABOUT US
The Grand Valley Dark Sky Initiative was formed in 2024. The dark skies of the Grand Valley and surrounding areas are disappearing at an ever-increasing pace. If care and actions are not taken, the Grand Valley will suffer the same fate as the Front Range and other urban areas. It is GVDSI’s goal, along with other dark sky advocacy organizations, to create awareness about light pollution, educate the public and local decision makers, and provide solutions to prevent new light pollution and abolish existing light pollution.
ABOUT DARK SKIES
Dark skies are a natural resource akin to our water and open lands and need to be protected accordingly. Natural, dark skies are essential to both human health as well as wildlife. Light pollution disrupts physiological cycles in humans, animals, and plants and can cause adverse health effects in animals and in humans (diabetes, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, obesity, depression, sleep disorders, increased stress levels, anxiety, mood swings, and more).
ABOUT LIGHT POLLUTION
Light pollution is excessive, misdirected, inappropriate or obtrusive artificial light created by humans (often from poorly designed lights). It is one of the most pervasive forms of environmental alteration. From neighborhood houses, to streetlights, billboards, parking lots, business lights, industry lights, and stadiums, the ubiquitous presence of artificial lights creates a luminous fog that swamps the stars of the night sky. Light pollution is filling the sky with light from our cities and towns. Light pollution also wastes energy, is a safety hazard that blinds people to dangers (traffic, intruders), diminishes vision at night, takes away from quality of life, obscures stars, and interferes with astronomical observation and research.
ABOUT SOME FACTS
Our light pollution can be seen from space! One can pick out the Grand Valley simply by looking at an “Earth at Night” photo.
80% of North Americans and 2/3 of the world’s population cannot see the Milky Way, the brilliant river of stars that has dominated the night sky and human imaginations since time immemorial. Our legacy and connection to the cosmos is being lost. Excessive, unnecessary, and inappropriate lighting are often born of myths about increased safety. The fear of “having my lights taken away” is unfounded. Although unnecessary lighting should be eliminated, necessary lights can be on motion detectors, shielded, or have appropriate color and temperature bulbs. Light pollution threatens agriculture by disorienting night pollinators.
ABOUT SOLUTIONS
Did you ever look at bright floodlights or exterior lights glaring away on a neighbor’s house or nearby business and wonder “what are they lighting up?” Constructive conversations with neighbor’s can be had using the guidelines on this website “Principles of Neighbor-Friendly Lighting”. If “good fences make good neighbors”, then “shielded property lights make good neighbors” and help maintain positive relationships between neighbors.
ABOUT ACTIONS
So. This leads us to encourage you to “Do the Right Thing – NOT the Light Thing”.
Contact us to see how you can start abating light pollution at home and in your own neighborhood.
Then, see how you can spread the message to local businesses and town and city managers that we deserve our beautiful night skies back!
More and more communities across Western Colorado and the world are making the necessary changes to become dark sky locations. If cities like Flagstaff and Tucson can become dark sky communities, then so can the Grand Valley! We owe it to ourselves, our heirs, and our planet!
The rewards will be stellar!