Letter: Dark Sky Ordinance

A applaud the Manzanita City Council for adopting a Dark Sky ordinance. By placing limits on outdoor illumination brightness and requiring residential and city lighting to shine downward, this ordinance will help keep the night sky visible for star-gazing. The attractiveness of having a dark sky became especially apparent with the recent interest in the extraordinary aurora borealis that we observed earlier this month. And who doesn’t like observing a meteor shower or the milky way on a dark night? One should not ignore the potential for tourism in advertising a Dark Sky policy in Tillamook County. Because the Pacific Ocean borders Tillamook County, towns along the coast are already half-way there in adopting a Dark Sky. I encourage local governments in the county to consider adopting Dark Sky ordinances.

Steven W. Johnson

Portland, OR