Browse this collection of useful links and resources for information on why and how to implement better lighting, the effects of light pollution, and more.
General Resources
- How to Talk to Your Neighbor About Lighting. Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve.
- Why No One Can See the Stars Anymore. YouTube video (11:29), Be Smart, PBS (2019).
- Where Light Pollution is Seeping Into the Rural Night Sky. Article and maps, Bloomberg (February 2020)
- DarkSky International. An excellent resource for all things dark-sky related.
- The Strange Scourge of Light Pollution. YouTube video (10:00).
- Lights at Night from Space. Lighttrends. Map showing nighttime lighting around the world as seen by a satellite using the VIIRS Day/Night Band and allowing measurement of changes in upward radiance in a selected area over time. (Note: Given the spectral sensitivity of the VIIRS Day/Night Band, blue light is underrepresented.)
- Preserving Dark Skies in the Big Bend. Cenizo Journal (December 2020).
- Lighting Guidelines for Homeowners Associations. PDF by the International Dark Sky Association.
Environment and Health
- The Vanishing Night: Light Pollution Threatens Ecosystems. The Scientist (October 2018).
- Green with Phenology: Artificial Light and Trees. Science (November 2021)
- How the marvel of electric light became a global blight to health. Aeon (August 2018).
- Adverse Health Effects of Nighttime Lighting. American Medical Association (2012).
- Our nights are getting brighter, and Earth is paying the price. National Geographic (April 2019).
- Lights Out Texas. BirdCast (2023). Details the effects of light pollution on migratory birds.
- Fatal Light Awareness Program. (2021). A program highlighting the effects of building reflections and lights on birds in Canada.
- The Devastating Role of Light Pollution in the ‘Insect Apocalypse’. Smithsonian Magazine (2019).
Safety and Security
- Chicago Alley Lighting Project Final Report. Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (2000). The study shows a correlation between increased lighting and increased crime.
- The effect of reduced street lighting on road casualties and crime in England and Wales. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health (2015). The study found that reducing outdoor lighting did not result in an increase in accidents or crime.
- Light Pollution Endangers our Safety and Security. Florida Atlantic University Observatory.
- Absence of Street Lighting May Prevent Vehicle Crime. Journal of Quantitative Criminology (2022).
Far West Texas Lighting Ordinances and Regulations
- Alpine Municipal Ordinance (2021)
- Balmorhea Municipal Ordinance (2021)
- Fort Stockton Municipal Ordinance (2012)
- Marfa Municipal Ordinance (2021)
- City of Pecos Municipal Ordinance (2012)
- City of Presidio Municipal Ordinance (2021)
- Van Horn Municipal Ordinance (2010)
- Brewster County Ordinance (2021)
- Culberson County Ordinance (2001)
- Jeff Davis County Ordinance (2021)
- Pecos County Ordinance (2023)
- Presidio County Ordinance (2021)
- Reeves County Ordinance (2021)
- Texas 82(R) HB 2857 (2011)
- Texas Health and Safety Code – Regulation of Certain Outdoor Lighting (1999)
Energy Industry Resources
- Recommended Lighting Practices for Oil and Gas Operators. McDonald Observatory (2018).
- Protecting the West Texas Dark Skies. YouTube video (38:15). McDonald Observatory (2018). Recommended Lighting Practices for oilfield activity.
- When Staying in the Dark is the Brightest Idea (2017). Permian Basin Oil & Gas Association.
- In West Texas, astronomers worry about growing oilfield light pollution (2021). Travis Bubenik for Marketplace.
- Railroad Commission of Texas Reminds Operators to Reduce Light Near McDonald Observatory. Notice to Operators, Railroad Commission of Texas (February 2016, 2019, & 2021).
- Texas General Land Office requires its oil and gas lessees to follow the recommended lighting practices to protect our environment from light pollution. The Texas General Land Office (2019).
- Upgraded Rig Lighting Improves Night Time Visibility While Reducing Threat to the Dark Skies in West Texas. Bill Wren and Stacey Locke (2015).
- McDonald Observatory Will Promote Dark Skies Awareness with Gift from Apache Corporation. Press Release (July 23, 2019).
- Dark Skies Initiative Video(3:20). Produced by Texan by Nature.
- Explanatory Video for Recommended Lighting Practices (Video: 38:15)
- McDonald Observatory, Oil and Gas Organizations Collaborate to Protect Night Skies. Press Release (July 9, 2018)
- Single page Dark Skies Initiative flier for the oil and gas industry. (McDonald Observatory and Texan by Nature)
- West Texas Oil Country Is Revealing a Sky Full of Stars. Reasons to Be Cheerful (2023).