Residents of Castaic, Palmdale, and Topanga are being mailed an “Eyes on the Skies” brochure informing them on how they can help reduce light pollution.
In collaboration with Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office, the L.A. County Regional Planning Department and the L.A. Astronomical Society, the brochure is to educate residents of the Rural Outdoor Lighting District ordinance, also known as ROLD.
ROLD is a supplemental district for the rural areas of the county to promote and maintain dark skies for the health and enjoyment of individuals and wildlife, according to the brochure. Castaic, Palmdale, Topanga, and other surrounding areas are part of this district.
“We just want to educate folks about the importance of dark skies, and that’s what our mailer was about,” said Mark Herwick, supervising planner at regional planning. “To demonstrate how important it is that dark skies are to folks’ health and environment, and just keeping folks aware of that.”
The brochure includes information about why dark skies are important, how light pollution can affect people, wildlife, and the climate, and the best practices to reduce pollution.
“Artificial light at night does disrupt our internal clocks. It disrupts our internal hormonal systems that can produce problems like obesity, sleep disorders, depression, even diabetes and breast cancer,” said Rod Kaufman, chair of the L.A. Astronomical Society Light Pollution Committee.
Kaufman added that bright lights can also affect what the eye can see. It can overwhelm the area that the light intends to illuminate and block someone from being seen, which can pose a danger. Light pollution can also disrupt the normal cycles of wildlife, as well as wasting money and energy from lights being left on when not being used.
The county has taken the reduction of light pollution seriously because of its effects on human health, wildlife and energy, Kaufman said, adding that county officials are committed to sharing the importance of dark skies and the benefits of the natural environment.
“The need to have dark skies so that future generations, as well as our current ones, can actually see our place in the universe is important,” said Kaufman. “And we can see our nighttime sky as it is naturally meant to be.”
Last year, a similar brochure went out to the residents of Castaic on the topic. Kaufman said the department received positive feedback for its efforts last year, so this year they decided to fund greater outreach, which is why more areas are being included.
This year with the expanded targeted areas, a little over 14,000 brochures were sent out, according to Herwick.
To find more information on the ROLD ordinance and the brochure sent to residents, visit tinyurl.com/5dr9xvv8.
