Protecting our Dark Skies

dark skies

Town of Randall residents value and appreciate the ability to enjoy views of the dark night skies.  Outdoor lighting from residences, businesses, parks, streets and many other sources can create light pollution (wasted light) and may degrade the darkness of the night sky.  For this reason, the Town of Randall encourages the use of lighting fixtures and techniques that minimize light pollution and protect views of the night sky.  These practices can improve the quality of outdoor lighting by minimizing glare, light trespass and energy waste, while improving the efficiency and ambiance of outdoor lighting.

The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) provides excellent information on how to voluntarily reduce light pollution and trespass while still providing enough light to live, work and see.  The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has produced the “Sensible Shoreland Lighting” booklet which also covers this topic.

To learn more about how to promote and protect dark skies at the community level, check out the IDA at http://www.darksky.org/ and the DNR at (http://clean-water.uwex.edu/pubs/pdf/ShorelandLighting.pdf)