Dark-sky communities are cropping up around the American West
Headwaters Alliance, a local non-profit organisation, wants to create a “dark-sky reserve” in aptly named Mineral County, which includes Creede. The campaign is not unique to southern Colorado. . The International Dark-Sky Association , based in Tucson, wants towns to curb their light pollution, which harms nocturnal wildlife and obscures the stars. TheCreede may have an easier time dimming the lights than other towns. Around 95% of Mineral County is public land.
In addition to the environmental benefits of darkness, Creede residents hope their pristine night skies will draw more tourists to help prop up the town’s post-mining economy. Campers and hikers visit in the summer, but the rest of the year is lonelier, says Jan Crawford, one of the first supporters of the reserve. “There is a joke”, Ms Crawford offers, that “there’s a $50 bill that floats around Creede and just goes from one place to another all winter long.
Some residents are still wary. Many small-town Coloradans share a libertarian aversion to being told what to do—even with something as small as the kind of porch light they install. More than anything else, though, preserving the night sky means getting comfortable with near-total blackness. “There’s wonders out there,” says Ms Crawford, “so don't be afraid of the dark.”
This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline "Star power"
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