Good Neighbor Lighting
by Doug Cunningham
Quetican Observatory, LIon’s Head
"Diamond dust. It looks as if the mighty hands of the gods spread a broad
arc of diamond dust across the heavens. The sharp, cold glitter of
thousands of distant stars encircles the sky with a ghostly embrace of
ancient light. This is the Milky Way, our home galaxy. But only if you are
lucky enough to be somewhere free of light pollution will you see its
majestic splendour."
RASC President, Mary Lou Whitehorne.
Feature Article on Dark Sky Preserves in Canada
100th Anniversary, Parks Canada Guidebook
The Bruce Peninsula .. Dark Night Skies ... Look Up and See Infinity !
Choices ! Short of deciding who your life partner will be and choosing your
occupation perhaps the next most important decision in life is deciding where you will
make your home. My wife, Paula, and I are now starting our 41st year of living on the
beautiful Bruce Peninsula... and we consider ourselves very fortunate. People who visit
us invariably say that we live in one of the most beautiful places in Canada .. and we
certainly agree with them. We have two National Parks, numerous conservation areas,
some of the best parts of the Niagara Escarpment and Bruce Trail, rare alvars and fens,
orchids and ferns, a natural flyway for Eastern North American birds, some of the best
sunsets in the world, unpolluted beaches, and yes, for people who enjoy stargazing, we
have the darkest night skies in Southwestern Ontario. In fact, if you were to draw a line
from Ottawa up through Sudbury and extend it along to Sault Ste. Marie there are only 3
places left where the night skies are as splendid as our grandfathers saw ... namely,
Algonquin Park, Manitoulin IsIand, and our own Northern Bruce Peninsula.
Just take a look at the light pollution map below, reproduced from the World Atlas
of Artificial Night Sky Brightness. The gathering storm of light pollution has now reached
Wiarton ! We have 3 advantages that have stemmed this advance of light pollution at
Wiarton and blessed us with dark night skies. First, we live on a Peninsula surrounded
by extensive expanses of water, second, we have a low population density, and third,
we have an active light pollution abatement committee and an engaged Municipality that
has declared itself a Dark Sky Community.
Light Pollution Map for Southern Ontario
Cinzano, F. Falchi (University of Padova), C. D. Elvidge
(NOAA National Geophysical Data Center, Boulder)
“The World Atlas of the Artificial Night Sky Brightness”
Good Neighbor Lighting -- Avoiding Light Trespass and Glare
I am fortunate in having some of the best neighbours ! My wife and I love viewing
the stars from our observatories in Lion’s Head and our Lake Huron cottage property.
Our neighbours in both places know this and go out of their way to restrict their lighting
footprint, thus reducing glare and light trespass onto our property and observatories. In
Lion’s Head, not only are our neighbours respectful of our need for “dark-sky friendly
lighting” but they have also contributed money towards the costs of our Municipality
changing some of its harbor lights to “dark-sky friendly lights”, those with full cut-off
shields containing high pressure sodium light bulbs.
Really, the essentials of having good neighbour outdoor night lighting are very
simple. The light generating element, the light bulb, should be recessed in a fixture that
allows the light produced to be directed downward, thus illuminating only the area
needed and for only the time required. Light that spills horizontally onto your
neighbours’ property is called “glare” and should be avoided. Photograph #1 shows
one example of a good neighbor lighting fixture at the Bruce Peninsula District School in
Lion’s Head. Notice that the light producing element is well recessed in the housing and
the light is directed downwards. Photograph # 2 shows another variety of dark sky
friendly lighting fixture ... the wall mounted variety .. also at the Bruce Peninsula District
School. Notice that the light is directed down and not up into the sky or sideways onto
adjacent properties. Photograph # 3 shows a wonderful example of “Good Neighbor
Lighting” at the entrance to the Bruce Peninsula Hospital’s in Lion’s Head. Notice that
this example combines effective soffit lighting beside a full cut-off pedestal light, a very
effective and aesthetic night lighting experience. If only all our businesses and
institutions could provide a similar, glare free night lighting environment !
Photograph #1
Pedestal “Good Neighbor Light” at the Bruce Peninsula District School
Photograph #2
Wall Mounted Lighting “Good Neighbor” Lighting Fixtures
at the Bruce Peninsula District School
Photograph #3
Hospital Entrance at Lion’s Head
What Can You Do If Your Neighbor’s Lights Shine on Your Property ?
One of my friends has a cottage with a next-door neighbor who has installed a
night blaster .. those bright mercury vapor lights that banish the night for an area the
size of a football field. The garish light spills over onto my friend’s property and
effectively blots out his view of the stars and makes any outdoor night-time activity a
glare-filled unaesthetic experience. My friend, being a gentle person, is reluctant to
mention this to his neighbor. But, here is the reality. In most instances, people ( ie his
neighbour ) are unaware of their poor lighting practices. In one instance, where
unwanted light spilled onto our property, I noticed that my neighbor turned off his
outdoor lights when he went to bed. A few weeks later I gave him and his wife a tour of
our observatories. I explained that I was an amateur astronomer who, on clear nights,
frequently imaged the distant stars, nebulae, and galaxies. I thanked him for turning off
his lights when he went to bed. Well, from that time on, my neighbour rarely turned on
his outdoor lights and he never leaves them on after this family goes to bed.
It’s hard to believe but the Bruce Peninsula is within a good day’s drive for over
40 million people, most of whom live in congested, busy, and severely light polluted
urban areas. Their wish to get close to nature, purchase cottage properties, or have
quality camping experiences make the Bruce Peninsula a magnet .. and that’s a good
thing for it employs our people and culturally enriches our community ! However, the
dark night skies that we take for granted are not part of their urban experience. Herein
lies the problem. Because their city lighting experience is awash with light trespass and
glare they might bring these same lighting practices to their cottages and, actually, be
completely unaware of it.
So, what can you do if your neighbor’s lights cause glare and trespass onto your
property ? Politely, and nicely, speak to your neighbor and ask if the offending lights can
be altered. Alterations can be as simple as changing the wattage, or replacing mercury
vapor lights with sodium vapor lights, or installing full cut-off fixtures, or using blinds at
night, or placing the lights on a motion detector that only activate the lights when you
return home, or, if a visitor ( welcome or unwelcome ) calls.
Now its easier to make changes. Our Dark Sky Committee has produced a
catalogue of Good Neighbor Lighting Fixtures .. both for the commercial and home
environments. This catalogue is now available at the various Hardware Stores on the
Northern Bruce Peninsula and their staff can assist you with choosing and ordering the
fixtures. In addition, the electrical contractors on the Peninsula are fully aware of the
“Dark Sky Lighting Initiative “ and can install the fixtures. In addition, the Bruce
Peninsula Biosphere Association is providing, until the first of August, a “free outdoor
light audit” for all interested Northern Bruce Peninsula residents and, if you choose to
change your outdoor lighting fixtures, there is a grant of up to $100 towards the costs of
the fixture and its installation. Simply call Heather Bigelow, at 519-592-5704, to book
your lighting assessment appointment. She has lots of useful ideas.
It has been my experience that most people wish to be good neighbours and are
reasonably accommodating and helpful when neighbourly issues are raised. Indeed,
thanks to the fact that our Municipality has declared itself a Dark Sky Community, the
first in Bruce County to do so, and that our two National Parks ( Fathom Five and Bruce
Peninsula National Park ) are now Dark Sky Preserves, the public’s awareness of “Dark
Night Skies” as a conservation value has dramatically improved. That makes our job of
encouraging good neighbour lighting much easier.The words of the English poet, Ralph
Hodgson, are an appropriate conclusion and are representative of the night sky
experience awaiting Northern Bruce Peninsula stargazers :
“ I stood upon the silent hill,
And stared into the sky until
My eyes were blind with stars,
And still,
I stared into the sky”
“The Song of Honour”
Ralph Hodgson