Newsletter

BCFNS NEWSLETTER
January 2026
Issue 71
Contact us at newsletter@BlancoCountyNightSky.org

115 supporting households with more than 250 members
including 27 Lifetime Household members
plus 12 Business members including 4 Lifetime Business Members
1,225 Facebook Group Members and 583 Instagram Followers
14 SQMs (Sky Quality Meters) installed in the Blanco County SQM Cluster

2025 WAS ANOTHER YEAR OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS

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HAPPY NEW YEAR !

We’d love for you to join us in 2026! Click here for suggestions on how you can share your talents: How Can I Help Be sure to click through the pages to find more details. Send us an email if you have any questions: info@blancocountynightsky.org You are also welcome to join us at our next Board meeting on February 18th @ 9:00 am at Texas Regional Bank in Blanco.

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FAREWELL TO OUR TREASURER Larry Seiler

We say “Farewell” to long time treasurer, Larry Seiler, because this is not good-bye. Larry officially submitted his resignation as a BCFNS Board Member in November 2025. He graciously allowed us time to find a new treasurer and agreed to finish the financials to the end of 2025. In addition to his role with BCFNS, Larry and his wife, Terri, have hosted many BCFNS annual gatherings and star parties at their Los Senderos Ranch.

In his farewell message Larry shares that “As a founding member of BCFNS, I am pleased with the accomplishments we have achieved over the past 8 years as well as being the impetus for the formation of many other night sky organizations. During my tenure, I served as treasurer, webmaster, and graphic designer. However, I think it is time to step down to allow for "new blood" to step in. I will remain on the Advisory Board to provide help whenever I am called upon.”

Larry, we wish you well in your future endeavors and appreciate your willingness to serve on the Advisory Board where your expertise and knowledge will be of benefit to BCFNS. Many Thanks!

Next month we’ll introduce you to our new Treasurer, Chris Curbow.
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WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS

Gordon and Kristi Downey

Gordon and Kristi joined us for our January meeting where they learned about some of the projects we are working on and will be determining how they can assist in the future.

They also purchased a Membership Sign and received a free one-year membership! You can do the same by scrolling to the bottom of this newsletter and following the directions there. We hope you will consider becoming a member too!

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DID YOU KNOW

Most people know that Blanco has been designated as an International Dark Sky Community (IDSC), one of only 61 world-wide. But did you know that in order to maintain that status Blanco must make an annual report to DarkSky-International about the progress it has made in reducing light pollution in the last year? Wayne Gosnell, BCFNS President, is now pulling together the 2025 Annual Report, with a lot of help from the rest of the Board.

The report must cover:
• Night Sky Quality Monitoring
• Outreach
• Education and Media
• Partnerships
• Success in Light Pollution Control
• Leadership
• Future Threats
• Change in Ownership, Place Size, or Access

Thanks to a lot of work by BCFNS volunteers, the Blanco Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Blanco, we are confident this year's report will be well received by DarkSky-International.

FACEBOOK GROUP POETRY CONTEST

The 5TH ANNUAL BLANCO COUNTY FRIENDS OF THE NIGHT SKY FACEBOOK GROUP POETRY CONTEST just concluded on January 31st. The theme “Animals Need the Dark” has inspired many good poems. But we have a problem! Which one is the member favorite?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/BCFNS

VOTING FOR A POEM
1. Voters must be members of our BCFNS Facebook Group
2. BCFNS Facebook Group members may cast a vote by clicking on any of the 7 Facebook reaction icons (Like, Love, Care, HaHa, Wow, Sad, Angry) for the post/poem. CAUTION: A click on ANY reaction is a POSITIVE click for a vote. If you don’t like a poem, don’t click on anything….just shake your head and move on because if you click you have voted for it.
3. BCFNS Facebook Group members may cast a vote for any number of poems but remember that the Facebook algorithm prevents any Facebook member from reacting to a given post more than once.
4. Votes must be cast by the end of the day on February 7, 2026
5. After February 7, 2026, the BCFNS Facebook Group Administrator will tally the votes by counting the number of reactions for each poem submitted.
6. The winning poem will be announced by the BCFNS Facebook Group Administrator as a post on February 8, 2026. There may or may not be virtual fireworks involved.

If you would like a copy of this document, email dba@BlancoCountyNightSky.org and request a copy by return email.

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NEXT BOARD MEETING

The next Board meeting will be February 18th @ 9:00 am at Texas Regional Bank in Blanco.

You are welcome to join us.

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CONSIDER BECOMING A MEMBER
Signs on gate

A membership sign in your yard is a great way to let others know that you care about the night sky and perhaps make them curious about the organization. We have been successful with our Membership Sign Promotion but still need your help. The more signs we can get out in the public, the more people we can reach with our message to “save the stars”.

If you have been thinking of joining BCFNS or renewing your membership, you can still take advantage of our special offering of a free one-year membership ($20) with the purchase of a sign ($35 tax included). A membership sign is the best publicity the night sky can have. Email us here to purchase a sign: info@BlancoCountyNightSky.org

For more information on all our membership options click here: Membership Options

The signs on the gate in the photo show friends, neighbors and passersby what this owner believes about Blanco County. The signs, from left to right, support DarkSky Texas, Blanco Count Friends of the Night Sky, and Blanco County Conservation Initiative.

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THIS NEWSLETTER

We hope you enjoy our newsletter. We are always looking for ways to make it better and more enjoyable. To that end, we invite your suggestions, comments and ideas for articles. In fact, if you would like to write an article to be published in our newsletter, we will certainly consider including it. Please send them to: newsletter@blancocountynightsky.org

Remember we are a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Please consult your accountant or tax adviser for details regarding deductibility for any donation you make.