Bend group turns spotlight on light pollution

There’s a group in Bend shining a spotlight on lights. The group, called Lights Out Bend, wants to reduce the city’s light pollution.

Light pollution occurs when the night sky is brightened by man-made light sources, like street lamps. The unnatural light disturbs wildlife’s natural cycles and also impedes people’s view of the starry night sky.

According to Lights Out Bend volunteer Robin Werdal, one group of animals negatively impacted by light pollution is birds. The man-made lights are confusing to them and cause them to get off their route to food sources or nesting sites. Insects are also negatively impacted by unnatural light sources.

“That light trespass also goes into the woods and natural habitats and really affects insects’ diurnal rhythm, so it can really affect their ability to mate, their ability to find food, their ability to live. It’s really just one more assault on nature,” Werdal said Friday.

For those who think the group’s goal could curb safe lighting, they note dht light pollution can be reduced by pointing light sources downward, as well as by using orange or yellow bulbs instead of blue or white.

Lights Out Bend is advocating for a new city policy on light pollution. The goal is to keep the Central Oregon night skies pristine, which, according to night sky experts like Worthy Garden Club Observatory manager Grant Tandy, is a worthwhile goal.

“We evolved over the course of millions of years to be adapted to certain dark sky conditions,” Tandy said. “So to all of a sudden in the last couple hundred years to have all these lights really throws a wrench into the ecology of life on Earth.”

According to Werdal, some lights can actually be dangerous to wildlife and humans.

But Bend’s rapid growth makes it difficult to address the increasing light pollution.

“So it’s important now more than ever to really start to work on this, because if we don’t, we’re going to lose the sky that we have and it will be harder to get back years down the line.”

Lights Out Bend is holding a meeting next Wednesday, May 30, at the downtown Bend Deschutes Library.

For more information about the group, you can visit: https://www.lightsoutbend.com/

It’s also the topic of our new KTVZ.COM Poll: Do you support tougher lighting rules to limit light pollution? Find it halfway down the right side of our home page.