BCFNS NEWSLETTER

July 2020

Busy Month

Lots of exciting things are happening in terms of night sky preservation in the Hill Country. We are actively collaborating with the Hill Country Alliance to help establish new Friends of the Night Sky groups in multiple counties around the Hill Country. Momentum is building for coordinated, regional light pollution abatement efforts. Blanco’s application to become an International Dark Sky Community lacks only a streetlight replacement plan and, with BCFNS teams having inventoried every streetlight in Blanco, we are now working with PEC on that. We recognized three more businesses in Blanco this month as being Night Sky Friendly. We identified an outdoor lighting professional who has agreed to provide pro bono advice on procuring night sky friendly fixtures. Finally, using Hotel Occupancy Tax funds, we presented to Blanco’s Swiss Lodge motel with 29 Ellicott Portfolio galvanized, gooseneck wall lanterns, approved as &;ldquo;Good Neighbor Lighting” by the International Dark Sky Association.

New Night Sky Friendly Businesses Recognized (We're up to 27 now!)

On July 8, three more Blanco businesses were recognized by the Blanco Chamber of Commerce as being Night Sky Friendly Businesses. They were the Blanco Regional Clinic, Mahoney Custom Homes, and Robert Allison Custom Homes. Presenting the certificates of recognition were Libbey Aly (center), Executive Director of the Blanco Chamber of Commerce, and Wayne Gosnell and Sandy Switzer of the Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky. So far, 27 businesses in and near Blanco have been recognized. “We are really proud of these businesses,” said Aly, “They have outdoor lighting that protects the night sky and set a good example for everyone else. We are well on our way to becoming a night sky friendly city which will be a tremendous help to businesses that benefit from overnight tourism.” (photos by Jennifer Johnson)

Volunteers Needed

We had four individuals step up in the last month and volunteer to become actively engaged with BCFNS initiatives. That's super! But we still need more “boots on the ground” workers as that is how things get done! Check out our website (blancocountynightsky.org) for a live list of volunteer opportunities. Our philosophy is that — if everyone does just a little bit — collectively, we can make tremendous progress. Don’t forget about our CD full of terrific night sky songs, Deep in the Dark of Texas™, Vol 1. This is THE primary way we have to raise funds to protect the night sky, made possible by the 13 local songwriter/musicians who volunteered their time and talent to make it happen. You can buy them at Liz on the Square in Blanco and at Wittington's in Johnson City. They can also be purchased on the BCFNS website: Deep in the Dark of Texas Volume 1.


Douse the Light and Enjoy the Night!