Bright side of darkness: Why dark skies matter

I moved first to Asheville, North Carolina, and then to Flag Pond, Tennessee, a decade ago to be in an area with a large percentage of protected and roadless lands. Where I live, near Rocky Fork State Park, I can see the Milky Way and enjoy meteor showers in every season. But the dark, dark nights when we could watch planets and stars through our telescope and binoculars are becoming fewer. In 2023 Wolf Laurel Ski Resort was purchased and transformed into Hatley Pointe, a year-round destination. Although the ski resort closes at 9 p.m., its powerful high-intensity LED lighting shines skyward over Wolf Ridge, illuminating a huge swathe of our formerly beautiful night sky all night long, especially this time of year when snow is manufactured. With wildlife and wilderness already under extreme threat, sensory pollutants such as excess anthropogenic (human caused) light put tremendous stress on plants and animals — not to mention humans. Even national parks such as Great Smoky Mountains National Park are suffering from skyglow, the reflection of light particles off aerosols in the atmosphere. When excess light pervades natural ecosystems, it affects animal behavior, reproductive abilities, richness and physiology. Anthropogenic light has been shown to decrease successful migration, reduce animal immunosuppression and alter circadian rhythms. Birds have used the stars for millennia to navigate safely to their destinations. But hundreds of thousands of birds that regularly visit the Blue Ridge Mountains are becoming disoriented and dying on the way to Mexico and Central and South America every spring and fall. The cause is simple: too much light. Birds can become dazzled by the glow of cities or other attractions on the way to and from their winter breeding grounds. Confused, they often fly into these centers of human activity where they are threatened by window-collisions, cars, feline predators and a lack of resources to sustain them on their arduous journeys. And with recent studies showing a steep decline in North American bird populations of all kinds, these species can't afford any more loss. Recognizing that more birds are dying each year due to excess lighting impacting migratory paths in Western North Carolina, in 2022 Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer proclaimed the months of March through May and September through November as "Bird Migration Awareness Months." The mayor's initiative encourages all Asheville businesses, residents and building managers to turn off nonessential lighting from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. during migration months to reduce bird fatalities. If Asheville can do this, surely a Tennessee couple who want to build positive relationships for their fledgling business in a rural community can too. People come to Western North Carolina and East Tennessee to enjoy the beauty of the mountains and the forest. If we emulate places like Flagstaff, Arizona, the world's first Dark Sky city, we can help birds migrate safely through our mountainous area, increasing biodiversity and ecosystem strength while reducing our energy consumption and cutting emissions associated with electricity. The principles of the Dark Sky program are simple:• All light should have a clear purpose.• Light should be directed only to where it's needed.• Light should be no brighter than necessary.• Light should only be used when it's useful.• Warmer-color lights should be used where possible. Ironically, Madison County, North Carolina's Wolf Laurel community, where Hatley Pointe is located, enforces a strict policy that outdoor lights be extinguished at 11 p.m. year-round. But it doesn't apply to Hatley. A resident of the gated community told me his back windows face the slopes and there is no nighttime at his house when the lights are on. Rocky Fork State Park near my home is trying for its Dark Sky certification to protect nocturnal wildlife in our 10,000-acre watershed. But the light pollution spread across Madison and Unicoi counties undermines and threatens the entire ecosystem upon which our parks, tourism and recreation are predicated. Lydia Dotson, guest services specialist with Hatley Hospitality, said, "We are actively working on a thoughtful plan to better address these conditions in the future, while still ensuring our snowmaking team has the adequate and safe lighting necessary to operate." If the Hatleys want to be good neighbors to their intra-state community, they will take a cue from Breckenridge, Colorado — a high-end mountain ski resort community that collaborated with townspeople to get a Dark Sky certification — and commit to eliminating light pollution in the mountain wilderness they have chosen as their home.