NIGHT SKY AND DARK ENVIRONMENTS: BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHT AT NIGHT ON BLM-MANAGED LANDS TECHNICAL NOTE 457 38 5. BMPs for Artificial Light at Night on BLM-Managed Lands This section discusses the range of lighting applications on BLM-managed lands and presents BMPs that BLM staff and operators of facilities or activities can use to minimize light pollution. These BMPs are applicable for any public lands setting, and most could apply in any urban or rural setting, regardless of location in the U.S. or elsewhere. The BMPs are organized by the six guiding principles for minimizing light pollution presented in Section 4, with an additional set of BMPs (presented first) that addresses minimization of artificial light at night for land use planning and project planning. Lighting applications on BLM-managed lands include (1) lighting for facilities and activities operated or conducted by the BLM, such as campgrounds, interpretive centers, and maintenance and security activities; and (2) lighting for facilities and activities permitted by the BLM but operated or conducted by other government agencies or private developers, such as communication towers, mines, oil and gas production, pipelines, electric transmission, and wind energy facilities. By far the greatest contributor of light pollution on BLM-managed lands are facilities and activities permitted by the BLM and operated by others, because they sometimes include Good lighting design minimizes both astronomical and ecological light pollution as demonstrated at the Piedras Blancas Light Station and adjacent nautical flagpole, which are unlit to allow the star-filled sky dominate as a dark sky resource.
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