Border Flood Lights
20 Flood Lights Without Shields (about 12 miles away) Flood Lights After Shields Installed
On June 14, 2002, the U.S. Border Patrol activated twenty light towers for a couple of miles along the border in the small border entry port of Naco. These 30 to 40 foot towers, each having 3 extremely bright (metal halide) light fixtures blasted their way into our community of Palominas and essentially killed my eastern and southeastern skies from a distance of 12 miles (creating extreme light trespass, glare and skyglow). I was devastated at this course of action, as well as other amateurs in the area and residents all over Palominas and the outskirts of Sierra Vista. They were supposedly installed to provide 'safety' for the patrol agents and to light up the dirt road that runs along that section of the border; not a single light was directed into the Mexican side of the border.
To make a long story short, as of tonight (11/19/2002), the B.P. has shielded and redirected the lights over the past couple of days, and now the lights are no longer much distinguishable between those lights and the regular lights found in Naco (on the border). At least from most of Palominas and my observatory. I would like to, at least, get this situation and the results in the IDA newsletter (and on web sites). Since the first opportunity arose to meet with the officials at the B.P. station in Naco, and voice my concerns and effects on the community, and especially to the many amateur astronomers around here, I have been meeting with the agents in charge and they have been very cooperative, but it did take some educating and convincing. Basically, it has taken (only) five months to get the situation corrected (amazing for a federal government agency). I had taken several photos of the lights and skyglow caused by these lights, and will within the next couple of nights, take new photos showing the difference.
I wanted to make you aware, and hope that you can use this campaign to encourage others either along border states, or with cities that have horrendous lighting, that there is hope! This was much more of an individual effort than having the astronomy club involved, but what matters is that this 'worse case' lighting situation was taken care of pretty fast and without firing a shot!
"Those who have no concept of the splendor and legacy of the night sky have no right to destroy it's visibility for those of us who do."
Doug Snyder, Member of IDA, V.P. of the Huachuca Astronomy Club, and observatory owner down here in Palominas (just south of Sierra Vista, west of Bisbee).