Ericson is design principal at Stantec Consulting Services. He is a longtime associate of the Dark Sky International nonprofit group and lives in North Encanto. As we celebrate International Dark Sky Week, April 2-8, I think back to where we were in the mid-1980s and where we are now regarding our nighttime environment with respect to light pollution and how it affects our view of the stars and our enjoyment of our homes and the environment around us.
In the last few years, we have gained two new very significant dark sky places in San Diego County — the community of Julian and Anza Borrego State Park — but our public lighting policies need to catch up with the times. Let’s set our course to reclaim our nighttime environment for ourselves and future generations.