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A New, Surprise Threat to Mono County Night Skies and Economy?

Last year I became a reluctant observer of challenges to the Mono Basin’s dark skies from commercial development. This February 2021 update from a resident of Lee Vining reveals that there were other challenges likely already under discussion, that apparently have blindsided many in the community:

Just this winter Mono County replaced street lights in Lee Vining with extremely bright blue-temperature lights. The town is brighter than it has ever been in its history, and is more luminous (I would estimate) by a factor of two from across the landscape. The lights point down, but are not shielded, and they are a tragic overkill. It would have been easy to purchase a much warmer temp/color of lights that could have easily illuminated as much of the street area for significantly fewer lumens. No one seems to question or care (Covid fatigue is afflicting all) about street lighting brightness, but there are a handful of people in town that are scratching their heads as to “why so bright!?”.

Other, much larger communities have been able to reduce their light pollution through the course of streetlight upgrades.

What happened with the Mono County project? Was there any public comment period? Were any commercial stakeholders involved in the process?

Night photography seminar at Mono Lake

Will the hundreds of people coming to the area each year to enjoy the night skies in Bodie Foundation events and night photography workshops in Bodie State Historic Park be affected? Will millions of dollars be subtracted from local economy?

Clients capturing a Milky Way arch panorama over Bodie’s church.

Will the Eastern Sierra lose Fall colors photography workshops that also practice night photography?

Must the organizers, many of whom have promoted the Eastern Sierra at their own expense for over a decade, refocus their sights on the Tetons or Colorado?

Contact members of the Mono County Board of Supervisors with your concerns. They seem to be under the impression that simply having an ordinance on light fixtures for new private structures is sufficient. Is there enforcement? Do they ask State of California agencies (Caltrans, etc) and others (cell tower operators) to work with them to meet the intent and spirit of the law, even if they may technically be exempt? Are new, more stringent regulations required?

It’s never too late for Mono County to join other global destinations in preserving its night sky resource, and the economic benefit than dark skies deliver:

Travel trends for 2019: dark skies – Lonely Planet
“As Earth grows ever more populous and cities expand, opportunities for humanity to look up at the rest of the universe decrease. Across the planet, travelers are now seeking out the world’s last-remaining dark skies where they can get a clear, unpolluted view of the stars.”
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/travel–trends-for-2019-dark-skies

As light pollution grows every year, more and more communities who still have a dark sky resource will take a greater share of dark sky tourism dollars. Every county and town in the state of Nevada may soon be looking to take the tourism dollars that California counties and communities let slip away:

Dark Sky Program offers unique opportunity for Nevada
https://sierranevadaally.org/2021/02/09/dark-sky-program-offers-unique-opportunity-for-nevada/

This is not an idle threat. The Eastern Sierra makes up the western edge of the Great Basin, and is protected somewhat by the giant granite light shield of the Sierra Nevada. Nevada on the other hand makes up the center of the Great Basin, with few major light-producing cities, and the bulk of its land protected form development in federal ownership: the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and so on. With very little effort, Nevada communities can enhance their advantageous position further.

But does Nevada have the scenic landscapes and historical sites to photograph at night under its dark skies? The answer may surprise you.

1. Southern California Night Sky, 2. Sky Car, 3. Truly Dark Skies, 4. Milky Way Arch Panorama, Central Nevada, 5. Milky Way Over Cathedral Gorge, 6. Joshua Trees, Milky Way, Airglow, and…, 7. Milky Way Arch Over Walker Lake, 8. This Week in Nevada, 9. Milky Way Over Stamp Mill, 10. Nevada at Night, 11. Airglow, Meteor and Milky Way Over Abandoned Mine, 12. Milky Way Over Charcoal Kilns, 13. Las Vegas and Ridgecrest Light Pollution from Death Valley, 14. Black Rock Desert Reflection, 15. Headframe, Mill, and Milky Way, 16. Milky Way Over Historic Hangar

None of this is to knock the Eastern Sierra. I live here, I’ve effectively invested my life to achieve working here. I don’t want to be a martyr. Don’t “shoot the messenger”! It’s an act of kindness for me to “throw myself in front of the bus” of “progress”, and point out to my fellow Eastern Sierra residents also trying to make a living here that it would be trivial for the photography workshops flying and driving in from all over the country to change their focus to somewhere else. Most of us who live in the Eastern Sierra prefer to see our friends and neighbors who run businesses here flourish! Let’s stop screwing up what we already had here, as recently as last Summer. Surely that is an entirely reasonable place to start?

At the end of the day it is not neighborly competition between California and Nevada that is the biggest issue. For years now, I’ve been offering itineraries that visit Bodie, the Mono Basin and Tioga Pass, AND Nevada ghost towns. The broader challenge is that both states compete with the growing list of destinations worldwide that are opening their eyes to their scenic landscapes and historical sites as drivers of night sky tourism. If anything, counties across California, across Nevada and neighbors across that state line should be sharing best practices that help us all be better competitors on that global stage. We have a few more months of restricted international travel due to Covid and to slower than desired vaccination schedules. When travelers who have been grounded for a 12-18 months take their first few trips, will it be domestic, or international? Each county needs to make its case.

A word to the wise: destroying your night skies with a streetlight project that could have improved your position may not be the best message to send to the visitors that your tourism economy depends on.

Jeff Sullivan

Jeff Sullivan leads landscape photography workshops in national parks and public lands throughout California and the American West.