Observatory sees solution to light problem as benefit for all
Lou Marzeles
News Editor
Sometimes it just doesn't help to see the light.
For the Goldendale Observatory, the bad news of light is written in the skies, and scientists call it sky glow. It's the haze of light accumulated from countless sources of man-made light, large and small, on the ground and reflected in the overhead sky. And telescopes have a lot of trouble seeing through it.
"There are sites in the sky that I've never been able to see," says Stephen Stout, Interpretive Specialist for the observatory. Hardly a metropolis, Goldendale nevertheless has significant sky glow right in the observatory's front yard.
Over the years, there has been some tussling in the community over the city and county's lighting ordinances, designed to afford the observatory optimal visibility. The issue has come to the fore again of late, since Goldendale Mayor Arletta Parton recently expressed a desire to have the city become proactive in enforcing its lighting ordinance.
Originally enacted in 1978, the ordinance was among the first in a wave of such codes, often called dark sky laws, passed around the country. The city ordinance came close on the heels of an identical ordinance established by the county. The code grandfathered in those businesses and residences that already had lights installed before the ordinance took effect, though all businesses and residences subsequently, unless specifically excepted, are subject to the code. The regulation requires that all outdoor lighting have shields that reflect light downward, with no light to rise above the horizontal plane of the light fixture.
Along with the mayor, Stout is concerned about lack of compliance with the ordinance. "Since 1978, Goldendale has grown a bit, and new businesses and construction that have come in since that time that don't have lights that conform," he says. "If you go back to that ordinance, since 1978, I can point out a lot of places that haven't conformed. There's a new place, a restaurant, down on Main Street, and I'm told that this business that just opened within the last year has lights that just don't conform at all. There's a business on Simcoe Avenue that was constructed within the last few years; their outside lights don't conform. There's a place on East Broadway constructed between five and 10 years ago; the lights on its north side definitely do not conform. There's another place further out on Simcoe that has made an addition, and the lights on the outside of it really don't conform. I could go on."
On the other hand, Stout is quick to point out, some businesses have been exemplary in their compliance. "For example, the power plant in the industrial park," he says. "When they came in and were constructing that, somebody from them came in and met with me, even showed me their schematics for their light fixtures for their parking and outdoor areas. And I said, 'You know, if this is what you're really going to do, I don't have a problem.' And they did what they said they would do, and I don't have a problem with it."
Up there on his list of compliant establishments are Klickitat PUD and Klickitat Valley Hospital (KVH). Both of those organizations came to him specifically to ensure that their lighting plans were on track. "In the first quarter of this year," Stout recalls, "PUD replaced their parking lights. And you can't do any better than their current parking fixtures. They were proactive about wanting to do something about light pollution in this area." Similarly, administrators from KVH consulted with him on their light fixtures-though, significantly, on a particular light out of compliance, KVH said the city had told them that the way they had their light was all they needed to do. "That was earlier this year," Stout says. "But they've got a good attitude; they're trying."
But why all the fuss over city lights? Stout acknowledges that for some, it's a stretch to consider that the issue is all that important, especially since its primary intention seems to be to benefit a single institution among dozens of residences and businesses, all expected to have their outdoor lighting make the observatory happy. Dark sky policy, Stout maintains, is not at all an unreasonable request.
"This particular observatory has an attraction, and that's because it's unlike professional observatories," he says. "The professional observatories are research facilities that, for the most part, do not cater to the public. They have such sensitive equipment that they can't let the public in. This observatory from its beginning was established as a public education center for astronomy as a science and back-yard star gazing as an activity. It's a place where people of all ages can visit and appreciate what the scientists are doing. This is one of the few places of its kind; there's not more than a handful of places like it."
It's also famous, even among people whose interest in astronomy is peripheral. According to estimates, the observatory draws something just under 40,000 visitors a year to Goldendale. You have to get a ways beyond the immediate Goldendale vicinity to find anything that comes close to that figure.
Besides, Stout points out, there are a lot of studies showing that following dark sky policy ultimately saves people money. In the end, he feels, everybody wins.
But even for those who really want to be in ordinance compliance, simple misunderstandings can get in the way. He stands before his desk lamp in his office to demonstrate.
"The number one concern is that there's a misunderstanding about what horizontal plane means," he says. "In lighting regulations, there's a lot of talk about the light should not go above the horizontal. If fixtures have shields on them, shields are put in such a way that the light fall in that fixture will only go onto what you want it to go onto-your door handle, your sidewalk, your street, your parking lot.
"Some parking lot lights at the edges of lots are angled, to try to throw light further, beyond the horizontal plane of the fixture. But as soon as there's the slightest angle"-here he slightly tilts the head of his desk lamp to show the effect-"there is an upward direction to the light." As well, he says, some people think that if they can't see the observatory, how they aim their lights doesn't matter. But according to Stout, all the light spillage contributes significantly to sky glow.
In the end, Stout maintains that dark sky compliance is good for the community. "It should make people feel good to help out something that is valued," he says. "This is a place that presents an important subject. We live on a little blue marble that is moving around a yellow sun, part of a hundred billion stars among hundreds of billions of galaxies, and people have asked forever, 'What is all that out there?' We're part of it, and because we're humans, we need to have knowledge. We need to explore. Humans need to have answers."
Ice cream, root beer part of August Second Thursday
Goldendale businesses entertained those who came out to Second Thursday with their Western theme of art, entertainment, and food. After having a beer and peanuts at the Barred Rock, where you can actually throw the shells on the floor, we salivated over Rick Johnston's barbecued ribs while listening to his music.
The Friends of the Goldendale Library also held their annual Ice Cream Social Thursday evening. Despite the chilly weather, about 300 people turned out to enjoy cake, ice cream, and root beer floats, and to listen to music by Jamba, a marimba band from the central Gorge area. Our Community Librarian, Naomi Fisher, said The Friends have been hosting this celebration every August for nearly 25 years, since the library was expanded in the mid-1980s. It's a big thank-you to the community for its support of the Library.
Maryhill Museum had perfect weather for their Art Festival on Saturday out in the lawn. Steve Stout with the Goldendale Observatory was there with his latest information on the International Dark Sky Association. We talked about the importance of having a dark sky in and around the city of Goldendale where the observatory is located. I am just beginning to understand that we live in a special town for many reasons, but one is because we have an observatory whereas most towns do not. And because of that, we need to use the right kind of lighting, in order to keep the skies dark. Any lighting that is used outdoors needs to be shielded and aimed down to only the necessary area that you need lighted. We do not need to light the sky and waste our lighting. Stout welcomes anyone to talk to him or any of our local astronomers about this subject, and he encourages all to read the lighting ordinance. I believe the city is starting to enforce this ordinance, which is necessary if we want to keep the observatory as our own. I feel that we need to do our part and "aim and shield."
Saturday we also went to a class on wild animals of the area at The Dalles Dam. One thing they taught was that the size of a mule deer's antlers does not tell the age of the deer, but that it is only genetics of that deer's family. Am I the last to know?
Hoof it on over to the Klickitat County Fair and Rodeo this week, Thursday through Sunday, and don't forget the Kickoff BBQ at the Fairgrounds Thursday evening at 5 p.m.
Glenwood company on dam removal project
This past June, the United States Forest Service and James Dean Construction (JDC), in Glenwood, began implementing the Hemlock Dam and Trout Creek Restoration Project. Trout Creek is a tributary to the Wind River. Local citizens, members of the Gifford Pinchot Task Force, fly fishers, and recreational clubs worked with the Forest Service and JDC to remove fish above and below the dam when the project began.
Throughout June and July, Trout Creek was pumped around the site through pipes while construction crews worked double shifts to remove the sediment behind the dam. On Aug. 3, the dam was knocked down and removed. The JDC crew excavated the river bed, and soon after the river was returned to its original course.
Hemlock Dam had negatively impact threatened lower Columbia River steelhead since its construction in the 1930s. The outdated fish passage system created nearly insurmountable obstacles for the basin's threatened steelhead population. "The removal of Hemlock Dam will help restore wild steelhead to the Wind River watershed," said Bengt Coffin, a hydrologist and the project supervisor with the United States Forest Service.
Since the dam was constructed over 75 years ago, the small reservoir behind it has been filled in with sediment and the slack water created high temperatures dangerous to wild fish. Steelhead that attempted to migrate past the dam and through the reservoir's warm waters were consistently being harmed and killed by the archaic structure. During the summer months, Trout Creek had the highest water temperature of any major tributary to the Wind River and consistently exceeded state water quality standards to a degree that is lethal to threatened steelhead.
Flyfisher Craig Lynch is ecstatic about the promise the restoration project holds: "Trout Creek historically produced 40 percent of the Wind River's wild steelhead populations. By removing the dam, we have restored access to prime habitat for these fish."
"The Forest Service and Jim Dean Construction have moved quickly and professionally to remove Hemlock Dam and should be commended for doing so well ahead of schedule," said Emily Platt of the Gifford Pinchot Task Force. "This project demonstrates that recreation clubs, conservation groups, and local citizens can work together with the Forest Service and local contractors to accomplish great things for our environment."
Thomas O'Keefe, Stewardship Director with American Whitewater, is thrilled that the project moved forward so quickly: "Rather than investing millions in failed fish recovery efforts, the best thing we can do is remove old, useless dams that block our free-flowing rivers. Nature is a cheap hired hand, and by removing this dam we have set the stage to recover key habitat for native fish and return the Wind River to its natural free flowing condition." |
