You may remember that there is a way to measure darkness. We have two teams of volunteers who go out at night twice a year, during the time of the new moon, to various per-determined locations to measure the darkness. In mid-December the readings were not good.

Our president, Wayne Gosnell, had this to say, “Wow! And a big MOAN to go with it. Every one of these SQM-L night sky readings are worse than the 2007 baseline. This is a wake-up call. We're losing ground! Thank you, David Loose and Elizabeth Miller, for getting these readings! Disturbing though they are, they are desperately needed to lay out a long-term plan to deal with the loss of our dark sky.”

David Loose tells us that “we have to remember, as long as Austin/Dripping Springs and San Antonio/Boerne are increasing in population, our skies will be getting brighter! Light pollution comes from far away as well as from downtown Blanco, and population drives pollution up no matter what! Our mission should be to minimize what we can and spread the word to surrounding communities to do the same. We are on the cusp of both Hill Country growth and its inevitable light pollution.”

"Deep in the Dark of Texas"™ is the theme that the BCFNS Board has chosen for 2024. Our goal for this next year will be to convince more individuals and businesses to have better control of their outdoor lighting so that we can indeed continue to live "Deep in the Dark of Texas"™ free from light pollution.

You can help us achieve this goal by spreading the word. Talk to your friends, neighbors, and the businesses you frequent about adjusting their lighting to be night sky friendly. It really is very simple; we just need to educate folks. If you would like some of our brochures to pass out just let us know. Also, watch our social media posts for information you can share with others. We also hope to have some educational gatherings to assist you in becoming better informed about how to speak to others about saving our night sky.

Wayne has a mantra to which he has added a warning: “Enjoy the night (while you still can)”.

______________________________________________________________ THIS NEWSLETTER

We hope you enjoy our newsletter and 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

______________________________________________________________ NEXT BOARD MEETING

Our regular Board meeting, which is open to everyone, will be Wednesday, January 17th @ 9 am, at El Charro Restaurant in Johnson City. If you would like to attend via Zoom, just let us know ahead of time and we’ll make it happen.

CONSIDER BECOMING A MEMBER

We have been successful with our Membership Sign Promotion! The more signs we can get out in the public, the more people we can reach with our message about “saving the stars”.

For those of you thinking of joining BCFNS or renewing your membership, we are offering 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. Here’s the link: BCFNS Membership Signs

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

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