VALLE DE ORO NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE is an oasis just seven miles south of Albuquerque. The former 570-acre farm, the first urban wildlife refuge in the Southwest, also ranks as an Urban Night Sky Place that includes a dark-sky-compliant visitor center. “We demonstrate best practices for protecting the night sky and do education about protecting the night sky, which is really important for our human health and the health of migrating wildlife or nocturnal animals,” says Valle de Oro manager Jennifer Owen-White. “By protecting night skies, you can have a big impact and an immediate impact.”
Put outdoor lights on a motion sensor or timer. Having lights on only when needed protects the night skies and the property. “Our visitor center is set back from the main road,” Owen-White says. “If we have lighting on at all times, it points out where this big building is. Having lights off makes it less obvious.”
Stay focused. Keep light directed down where you need it. Also, install lights in the red and orange spectrum. Although touted for energy efficiency, LEDs emit bluer light, which adds to the artificial night sky brightness more than the warmer light cast by incandescent bulbs. “Those bright blue-white lights affect our circadian rhythm,” Owen-White says. “Look at the Kelvin temperature rating. The lower the number, the warmer the light.”
Follow DarkSky’s central guideline. “Light where you need it, when you need it, in the amount needed, and no more.”