Throughout the Texas Hill Country, towns and counties have declared October to be “Hill Country Night Sky” month by signing a proclamation. The purpose of this proclamation is to bring awareness to ongoing effort to protect the night sky from light pollution. The proclamation encourages citizens to work towards light pollution abatement and take some time to enjoy the night.
Blanco County Judge Brett Bray signed the proclamation in late September declaring October as “Hill Country Night Sky Month” in Blanco County. Judge Bray was very complimentary of Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky (BCFNS) for their work in the county. Barbara Hudson, BCFNS secretary, thanked the court for its support.
Blanco Mayor Mike Arnold, with the support of the city council, signed a similar version of the proclamation (adapted for the city) at the Oct. 8 Blanco City Council meeting.
“I have to admit I was a little bit skeptical, standoffish, about the whole night sky stuff. You know, who likes new regulations? But it’s something that you don’t pay attention to until someone points it out and then you start to realize, ‘Wow, this is nice’ what’s been accomplished here,” Arnold said. “I remember growing up hunting in deep South Texas and before the sun would come up you could always tell where all the little towns were because the glow around them.”
This effect is known as sky glow and as many are aware it is creeping closer to Blanco from Austin in the east and San Antonio in the west. Blanco truly sits on the edge of darkness.
Many people are concerned about regulating outdoor lighting for various reasons; the main one being safety. The mayor shared that he now understands light pollution abatement is “not diminishing the lights people use, it’s just basically stopping lights from going out and up unnecessarily. That’s the basic principle and I think it’s great.”
Blanco is one of just a few cities in the Texas Hill Country to be recognized as an International Dark Sky Community. This achievement occurred in 2022 thanks to the tireless effort of Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky and its president, Wayne Gosnell. This is quite an honor for the citizens of Blanco; something to be proud of and to protect.
Hill Country Night Sky Month is all about sharing with people how they can have safe outdoor lighting and preserve our beautiful night sky, our heritage. One statement in the proclamation “encourages citizens to learn about light pollution and why it matters, night sky friendly lighting, and lighting regulations, and to implement practices and lighting improvements that will reduce light pollution, thereby preserving our night skies.”
To read the entire proclamation go to: www.blancocountynightsky. org/ordinances. php then scroll down to the Blanco County section. While you are on the website take some time to check out the wealth of information that is provided.
Before reading part of the proclamation at the city council meeting, Arnold said that “the stars at night are still big and bright in Blanco, and you can’t say that everywhere.”
