(Jackson, Wyo.) - Like seeing the stars above Jackson Hole? Well, one local organization wants you to be able to see more of them. In yesterday's Town Council Workshop, Wyoming Stargazing presented a proposed amendment to the Town of Jackson Land Development Regulations (LDRs) to lessen light pollution in town. This is part of the organization's ‘Save Our Night Skies’ campaign to reduce light pollution in the community. During the meeting, Long-Range Associate Planner Regan Kohlhardt showed several photos of the light pollution, called "sky glow," from the Town of Jackson (see those photos here
"It is not about limiting the amount of light in town. It is about limiting
the amount of light above town, so we can still have all the lights we need
pointed down in the directions it needs to go to provide safety," said
Samuel Singer, executive director of Wyoming Stargazing during the meeting.
"The main point is to limit the amount of light pointing up."
The proposed changes include not giving exemptions for "period" or
"antique" fixtures if using frosted glass, change measurement from
footcandles to lumens, restricting certain light colors that contribute to
glare, and requiring controls that turn lights off during the day and late
This goal of this agenda item was to run the initial amendment by the
Council members, so no action was taken last night. Wyoming Stargazing is
running a similar amendment by county officials.
Read the full amendment here.
*Feature Photo: Photo by Samuel Singer, executive director of Wyoming