A proposed ordinance in California, known as the “Dark Sky” law, is under consideration and would mandate that residents turn off their lights by midnight in an effort to safeguard native wildlife, leaving some residents terrieifed.
The ordinance is scheduled for review by the Palo Alto City Council on Monday. If approved, it would establish a comprehensive city-wide curfew, requiring most exterior lighting to be extinguished at exactly midnight.
The proposal would also reduce permissible light trespass-the unwanted illumination that extends onto adjacent properties-from 0.5 to just 0.1 foot-candle. Officials have confirmed that protecting native wildlife remains the primary objective of the measure.
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The Daily Mail reports that minimizing light pollution throughout Palo Alto, including areas like the marshland trails of the Baylands Nature Preserve, would significantly benefit the local ecosystem. An additional advantage includes potential improvements to human health resulting from the ordinance…