Andromeda Galaxy. Photo by Dan Dallolmo, of Traverse City.

By Kevin Howell

It’s a gorgeous night. Standing on my front porch, I look to the sky to soak in the view of constellations, stars and planets. Out of the corner of my eye, I can’t help but notice the neighbor’s shining porch light and, down the street, the glare of an overhead light.

I can still see some stars, brighter planets and the round moon in the sky. But so much of the neighborhood’s night sky is lost from an overabundance of unnecessary, bright, artificial light. Bummer.

My disappointment aside, losing a better view of the night sky is not the only problem. I decided to investigate after one of our Freshwater Reporter readers (thank you, Susan!) suggested sharing information to coincide with International Dark Sky Week, April 22-30.

To learn more about the effects of artificial light, I reached out to several experts.

Life disruption

According to Professor Sally Oey, of the University of Michigan Department of Astronomy, artificial light is linked to a number of diseases and disorders in human beings and affects wildlife as well.

“The artificially brightened sky can cause sleep disorders for humans and other creatures,” Oey said. “In humans, you can refer to the AMA (American Medical Association) report stating that light pollution-caused sleep disruption is linked to cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and more recently we also know that sleep issues are linked to dementia.”

She also noted that migrating birds, which use the moon and stars to navigate, can be confused by artificial light and end up colliding with buildings. Overly bright roadside lighting can create glare for motorists, who may also end up crashing into something.

Insects are affected, too.

“The ‘insect apocalypse’ has been linked in part to light pollution ⸺ populations of insects are plummeting,” she said.

And  don’t forget plants.

“Trees drop their leaves in the fall later if exposed to artificial light at night,” Oey explained.

So artificial light doesn’t just mess up my view of the night sky, it affects the entire nocturnal ecosystem.

Economic cost

Using artificial lighting tends to affect the pocketbook, too.

Phyllis Rebori is a member of the Dark Sky Committee of Leelanau Energy, a Leelanau County-based nonprofit. The committee works to educate the public about light pollution and find ways to reduce its negative effects. Some of their suggestions include using indirect lighting and lighting shields, and changing from bright white or blue lights to soft whites and yellows.

“In addition to the health, wildlife and plant issues, there is the fact that light pollution wastes energy and money ⸺ for citizens and municipalities,” Rebori said. “IDA (International Dark Sky Association) figures about $3 billion per year of energy is lost to skyglow.”

Dark Michigan

People can experience the effects of reduced or no artificial lighting, and the beauty of the universe’s dark sky canvas, by visiting designated dark areas around Michigan.

IDA is the International Dark-Sky Association, the authority on light pollution. Two designated International Dark Sky Parks ⸺  there are just 195 official Dark Sky places in the world ⸺ are in Michigan. One is the Headlands International Dark Sky Park, west of Mackinaw City. The other is Dr. T.K. Lawless International Dark Sky Park in Cass County, in southwest Michigan.

Robert Parrish is a founder of Dr. T.K. Lawless and an advocate of the International Dark-Sky Association.

“Our hope is two-fold,” Parrish explained. “One, to bring back the splendor of the night sky. One wouldn’t purchase a home with a beautiful view of the ocean and then block that view by the planting of trees and shrubs.

“We also hope to stop the misconception that we are in favor of eliminating outdoor lightings. Rather, we hope to educate people towards the use of intelligent lighting that reduces their carbon footprint and only lights the ground. This can be accomplished by employing fully shielded lighting that prevents stray light from escaping vertically upward, and limits horizontal light transmission that creates glare. Motion detected devices and timers are also encouraged.”

Lighting ordinances

Jerry Dobek, astronomy professor at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City, is a founding member of the International Dark-Sky Association. He works with municipalities in Michigan, as well as nationally and internationally, to develop lighting ordinances to reduce light pollution.

“I’m currently working with Beaver Island and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on the designation of Dark Sky preserve and/or park areas,” he said. “The City of Traverse City is one of my ordinances. I have also worked with Empire and have spoken with Arcadia and Frankfort concerning ordinances.

“I have not done anything yet with Ludington, Manistee, or Cadillac, but they are on my lists,” Dobek added.

He said he’s been working on light pollution issues since 1988 and has developed 53 lighting ordinances in Michigan.

Emmet County’s outdoor lighting ordinance, among other requirements, states: “all outdoor luminaires shall be fully shielded lighting fixtures to minimize artificial sky glow, all outdoor lighting fixtures shall be placed to prevent light trespass or glare beyond the property line, and all outdoor lighting shall be of a type, and placed, to prevent any light above the horizontal plane.”

These actions and efforts will benefit us all, and they would most certainly make my night-time stargazing, and yours, much more pleasurable.

For more information on the effects of light pollution, and how to mitigate it, go to:
www.darksky.org/
www.leelanauenergy.org/dark-sky
www.cwenergyusa.com/blog/light-pollution-and-animals
sites.lsa.umich.edu/darkskies/the-problem
michigan.gov/darksky

Michigan’s designated dark sky areas

If you’re unable to visit one of the following, try to find a place away from city or neighborhood lights ⸺ the top of a sand dune along the lake shore, or a spot in the woods with an open canopy. Lie back and enjoy the beauty of the night sky.

International Dark Sky Parks

Headlands International Dark Sky Park – Emmet County Park
550 acres of woodlands, two miles of undeveloped shoreline, Event Center

Dr. T.K. Lawless International Dark Sky Park – Cass County Park
850 acres, including inland lakes and streams

Dark Sky Preserves

Lake Hudson State Recreation Area – Lenawee County
Rustic campground, no-wake lake

Negwegon State Park – Alcona County
4,118 acres, sandy beach on Lake Huron

Port Crescent State Park – Huron County
Three miles of Lake Huron shoreline along Saginaw Bay.

Rockport State Recreation Area – Presque Isle County
Lake Huron nature preserve, 5,000 acres of sand dunes

Thompson’s Harbor State Park – Presque Isle County
Six miles of trails, 5,000 acres of dunes, upland and marsh

Wilderness State Park – Emmet County
10,000 acres, 26 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, camping.
Open all year.

Kevin Howell resides in Mason County. He loves the Michigan woods, lakes, people and, especially, Michigan craft beers -– not necessarily in that order.