NIGHT SKY AND DARK ENVIRONMENTS: BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHT AT NIGHT ON BLM-MANAGED LANDS TECHNICAL NOTE 457 21 difficult to see fainter stars and other faint celestial objects, such as the Milky Way, meteors, and zodiacal light. This may diminish the enjoyment many people derive from viewing the night sky. It is estimated that 80 percent of North Americans are unable to see the Milky Way from their homes (Falchi et al. 2016). In addition, lights, particularly flashing lights, may distract viewers and introduce obvious human-made elements into the view. This detracts from the feeling of naturalness (an important wilderness value) and may also negatively affect the aesthetic or spiritual experiences of viewers (Duriscoe 2001). Skyglow, light trespass, light clutter, overillumination, and glare may also affect nighttime recreational activities (Smith and Hallo 2013). Some activities, such as star parties, night sky interpretive programs, night sky photography, nighttime wildlife viewing, and observing celestial events such as the aurora borealis and meteor showers, are directly dependent on having a relatively light-pollution-free night sky. Many other nighttime recreation activities, such as night hiking; night bike riding; night boating, canoeing, kayaking, and rafting; night skiing and snowshoeing; and night hunting and fishing may be enhanced by relatively light-pollution-free night sky conditions. While the presence of substantial light pollution does not make these activities difficult or impossible, it likely reduces the quality of the recreation experience. 3.3.2 Historic and Cultural Effects All types of light pollution have potential negative effects on cultural and historic values. Skyglow in particular has negative effects on cultural values associated with the night sky, because it affects the ability to see fainter stars and the Milky Way, and celestial objects of cultural significance may simply not be visible. Skyglow that results in loss of visibility of celestial objects may negatively affect the ability to recognize, understand, or enjoy archeoastronomy sites and other cultural/historic sites that are directly connected to the night sky, because often the connection relies on alignment of structures with celestial objects or events. If the celestial objects are difficult to see, the connection may not be seen or appreciated. Poorly designed lighting that results in light trespass, over-illumination, glare, or light clutter may interfere with views and enjoyment of historic sites visited at night. While some lighting may be considered necessary for safety or security and to see the features of a historic site, improper lighting practices may interfere with visibility of the site or its structures, cast shadows that detract from the view, diminish the historic “feeling” of the site, and could decrease visitor safety by introducing such strong visual contrast that objects in shadow are not visible. Light pollution may also detract from the historic feel or character of the landscape. For example, visible lighting could diminish the experience of people traveling along a national historic trail at night to attempt to recreate the authentic pioneer experience of the night sky. Many people who live in light-impacted environments, such as this person from Denver, travel to areas like this dark sky park to enjoy the star-filled sky.
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