NIGHT SKY AND DARK ENVIRONMENTS: BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHT AT NIGHT ON BLM-MANAGED LANDS TECHNICAL NOTE 457 69 6. Summary Night skies and dark environments are an important quality of public land scenic, historic, cultural, scientific, recreational, and ecological values. They can be an integral component of aesthetically pleasing surroundings on the public lands forming the backdrop for multiple uses. In response to growing public concern about light pollution, the BLM sponsored this effort to assemble best practices for outdoor lighting. Applying artificial light at night BMPs can help prevent degradation of dark sky qualities over public lands and avoid or reduce light pollution effects of permitted land uses on those lands. The proactive incorporation of artificial light at night BMPs into the planning of federal actions will likely result in a more efficient environmental review process, increase operating efficiency, reduce long-term operating costs, reduce final reclamation needs, and minimize impacts to the environment. This collection of BMPs is intended to support alternatives development and agency decisions about nighttime lighting on BLM-managed public lands to prevent light pollution that impairs visible clarity of night skies, negatively impacts wildlife, and affects human health and wellbeing. The concepts and BMPs presented in this technical note can be used for facilities managed by the BLM (e.g., office buildings, fire stations, recreation sites) and those facilities that support authorized permitted uses (e.g., wind, solar, and geothermal energy generation; energy transmission; fluid and hardrock mineral extractive activities; communication towers; recreation uses such as camping and hiking). Any outdoor lighting design needs to be considered in the context of other public land qualities, resources, and values as well as operational function. Early and frequent consultation with the developer, other resource specialists, and potentially affected stakeholders will help ensure that lighting BMPs are applied where they are needed and effective, where they do not adversely affect workplace safety or other important environmental resources, and with consideration of the costs and benefits of implementing them. The BMPs presented in this report are for consideration in the design and maintenance of facilities located on public lands. The goal of assembling these BMPs is to promote practices that prevent unnecessary degradation of dark sky qualities over public lands and avoid or reduce light pollution effects of permitted land uses on those lands.
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