June 2025: Gucci Bag Deep State, Light Pollution News.

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This Episode:

Wow, we have a great one for you today! Starting with – are you afraid of the dark? You may be shocked by our panel’s answer! Citizen science looks at light’s effects on butterflies. And East Riding of Yorkshire is testing the waters on some no light roadways.

This month, I welcome the host of the Restoring Darkness podcast, Michael Colligan; Editor in Chief of Astronomy Magazine, David Eicher; and Professor of Anthropology from Bellevue College, Dr. Nancy Gonlin!

Host:

Guests:

1. This is Why You’re Afraid of the Woods at Night, Blair Braverman, Outside.
2. Artificial light pollution could fuel growth of toxic algal blooms, James Dinneen, New Scientist.
3. Butterflies at porch lights: Exploring nocturnal light visitation in butterflies using community science data from iNaturalist, Insect Conservation and Diversity.
4. LED Street Lights Killing Seabirds on Cape Verde, Associação Projecto Vitó, Rare Bird Alert.
5. Artificial light at night: an underappreciated effect on phenology of deciduous woody plants, PNAS Nexus.
6. Street lights to be switched off across major roads to slash pollution levels with new AI cameras, GBNews.
7. Utah Department of Transportation working to improve nighttime visibility at intersections, Leslie Duarte, KMYU.
8. Norfolk group advocates for eco-friendly streetlighting, Jay Greene, WTKR 3.
9. The enduring glow of London’s historic gas lamps, CBS Sunday Morning.
10. Glamping site ‘a field of nightmares’, residents say, Maria McCann, BBC News.
11. City considers Dark Sky certification, Finn McNally, Herald Democrat.
12. Aim for Banks Peninsula to become NZ’s next Dark Sky Reserve, Lisa Davies, 1News.
13. Digital billboard given final sign off despite dark sky park concerns, Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter.
14. ULUM Moab officially certified DarkSky Approved by DarkSky International, Natasha Chortos, Dark Sky International.
15. Kestrel Nest EcoHut, Natasha Chortos, Dark Sky International.
16. Wyoming is home to the first ‘dark sky’ airport in the world, Hanna Merzbach, Wyoming Public Media.

Light Pollution News: June Highlights

Why Are We Afraid of the Dark?

Are you willing to admit to a fear of the dark? Many people feel uneasy venturing into the woods at night, but why? According to Blair Braverman in Outside Magazine, researcher Elizabeth Parker explains that this fear stems from a deep-rooted evolutionary concern—an instinctive fear of unseen predators, whether real or imagined.

Even in urban areas where artificial lighting keeps the night at bay, people rely on high-powered headlamps to cut through the darkness. But perhaps the real fear isn’t just about visibility—it’s a subconscious realization that, in the grand scheme of nature, humans are not as invulnerable as they might believe.

The Ecological Impact of Light Pollution

Light pollution, particularly sky glow, disrupts ecosystems in surprising ways. Researchers at the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries found that even faint artificial light accelerates cyanobacteria growth in waterways. Just 0.06 lux—about the brightness of a quarter moon—triggered a 32-fold increase in algae, which can be harmful to aquatic life.

While cyanobacteria can be beneficial in agriculture, excessive growth in water systems leads to hazardous conditions for fish, plants, and other organisms. This study highlights how even minimal artificial light can create significant environmental shifts.

Citizen Science and Nocturnal Species

Citizen science projects like iNaturalist are transforming how we study nocturnal species. Researchers examined butterfly species that fall victim to artificial lighting, finding that even diurnal butterflies, which are active during the day, are affected. The study identified 107 species of butterflies drawn to artificial light, often leading to disorientation and increased predation risks.

The LED Streetlight Revolution: Pros and Cons

Many cities are upgrading to LED streetlights, but new lighting technology has unintended consequences. In Cape Verde, a streetlight conversion replaced old sodium vapor lamps with unshielded 40-watt LED lights. While residents appreciated the bright, 24/7 illumination for safety, RareBirdAlert reported that the intense light caused hundreds of seabird deaths, including species like the Boyd’s Shearwater and Cape Verde Storm-petrel.

Shockingly, no environmental impact assessment was conducted before installation, raising concerns about how artificial light affects wildlife.

Artificial Light and Trees: A Delayed Response

A 2022 study published in PNAS Nexus explored how artificial lighting affects deciduous trees. Researchers found that streetlights and urban glow cause earlier bud break in spring and delayed leaf coloring in autumn, disrupting seasonal cycles. Scientists are planning follow-up studies to better understand long-term effects.

How Bright Is Too Bright? Controversial Lighting in Glamping & Urban Areas

Near Randalstown, Northern Ireland, the Cotters Park glamping facility has faced backlash due to excessive neon lighting and loud music. A February ecological impact assessment found a dramatic reduction in bat populations, prompting the facility to install low-wattage red bulbs as a solution.

Meanwhile, East Riding of Yorkshire in England is experimenting with a 600-streetlight shutdown to determine whether car headlights make lamp posts redundant. The trial, which uses AI-powered thermal cameras, will assess impacts on road safety for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

The Fight for Softer Lighting: Gas Lamps, Citizen Movements & Dark Sky Designations

Cities worldwide are debating lighting choices. In Norfolk, Virginia, a grassroots initiative—Citizens for Responsible Lighting—is pushing back against 3,000K and 4,000K LED installations, advocating for 2700K neighborhood lighting and 2200K fixtures for sensitive environmental zones.

In London, residents are rallying to preserve historic gas lamps, citing their warm glow as better for nocturnal species and urban charm.

Meanwhile, communities like Leadville, Colorado, and Banks Peninsula, New Zealand are pursuing Dark Sky Designations, aiming to reduce excessive lighting for better night-sky visibility. Even Jackson Hole Airport has officially achieved Dark Sky certification.

Light Pollution News: June Read Along

Let’s begin today with a simple question. Are any of you willing to ‘fess up to being afraid of the dark?

From Outside Magazine, Blair Braverman explores why it is that so many of us are afraid of going into the woods at night. According to Elizabeth Parker, a researcher referenced in the article, it’s because of a long-standing human fear of being eaten by unseen predators or predators within our imagination. 

While I’m sure this differs with different parts of the world, here in the eastern half of the US, there’s really not much nature to be afraid of, given our history of reengineering the landscape to suit our needs. However, even in a city that doesn’t get dark at night, folks will still opt for headlamps that light up in front of them like car high beams and spray them for hundreds of yards through the woods.

Braverman backed into something else. Perhaps that fear of the dark is also a fear of the realization that we, as people, aren’t as superior or invulnerable as we tend to believe we are during the daytime. Maybe night allows us to recognize how much a part of this ecosystem we really are, sans the day to day niceties we surround ourselves with.

We’ll start off with some ecology this month.

Light pollution, specifically in this case sky glow, can drive cyanobacteria growth, adding more proof that artificial light changes aquatic ecosystems. For you at home who may find the idea of cyanobacteria a bit nebulous, cyanobacteria isn’t all bad – typically, you’ll find positive uses for the microbes in agriculture. However, once in waterways, artificial light may influence the growth of the algae to levels that are hazardous to all other living organisms.

In this case, researchers with the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries found that it really takes a tiny amount of light to negatively charge water ways with an overabundance of cyanobacteria. Only .06 lux, which they cited as a “faint skyglow” increased the algae by 32x. For you at home who has no idea what .06 lux looks like, it sits in the range of the amount of light given off by an early quarter moon.

It’s already established that sunlight influences plume growth, and now, very modest after hours lighting may continue to spur growth.

A few episodes back, we mentioned the promising value of citizen science projects to chart nocturnal species. I know many folks who partake in projects such as these.

Well, in a paper in the Royal Entomological Society, researchers took a look at the very popular citizen science program, iNaturalist. For you at home who may not be aware, iNaturalist is a pretty neat application. It utilizes machine learning algorithms to identify best guesses of what a particular plant, tree, or insect may be.

In this study, researchers sought to identify how many species of butterflies fell victim to the “flight-to-light” behavior exhibited by so many insects through citizen science observations.  Researchers found that diurnal species were no less susceptible to artificial light. In this case, specifically, they counted 107 species of butterflies that fell victim to, typically, the pull of residential lighting.

In the eastern Atlantic, the archipelago of Cape Verde has undertaken an LED street light conversion. Gone are the orange glows of sodium vapor lighting. The country began installing new 40 watt LED streetlights this winter. And…wouldn’t you know, those unshielded bright, high intensity lights are already having an effect.

For one, the people seem to be in favor of the 24×7 bright as daytime lighting…well, at least in the lone article I came across on the conversion. They complement the “safety” effect. On the other hand, there appears to be a major unintended consequence…one that sadly is highly predictable and avoidable.

According to RareBirdAlert, “hundreds” of seabirds have died since the new LED lights went online. The lighting…hold your breath for this one…was not preceded by any environmental impact assessment.

A recent survey identified over 150 dead birds, including the Boyd’s Shearwater, Cape Verde Storm-petrel, the White-faced Storm-petrel, and the Leach’s Storm-petrel. The official cause of death appears to include an initial impact with the lights themselves.

Finally, wrapping up our ecology news for this month, I’m including this because it actually showed up in my feeds, though, upon closer inspection, the research the article that Vanderbilt University featured this month dates back to 2022. Either way, I’ve always wondered about this very topic, so I decided to keep it in.

A team of researchers published in PNAS Nexus to study how artificial light at night impacted deciduous trees. They found that artificial light at night was associated with earlier bud breaking, that is, when the spring buds open up, and delayed leaf coloring. 

It should be noted that the authors found a low correlation between the tree effects, artificial light at night, and temperature across the sites examined. Those included Minneapolis, Chicago, Washington DC, Atlanta, and Houston.  The team is looking to perform a follow up study, which is why, perhaps, this was brought to life now.

Over in the UK, near the community of Randalstown in the County Antrim area of Northern Ireland, sits a ‘food-tourism’ glamping facility named Cotters Park. Apparently, its neon lights and loud music have strangely not endeared them to their neighbors.

The facility itself appears to have a perimeter of string lights, however, it’s super bright neon lights that appear to be causing a “landing strip” light appearance that, according to an ecological impact assessment from February, associated the facility with a “dramatic” reduction in bat populations.

In response, Cotters Park claims it has now installed low wattage, red bulbs, shielded lighting.

Since we were talking streetlights a bit earlier…we have a very interesting story that snuck up in between shows. We’ve seen some experimentation with streetlights in the past, but this one, I think, actually may have legs.

In East Riding of Yorkshire, which sits east of Leeds and York, south of the North York Moors in England, the Council has decided to switch off more than 600 streetlights with the explicit goal of assessing whether “car headlights make lamp posts redundant.” According to the UK Department of Transportation, “80% of road accidents occur during daytime hours.”

The test will run for a year, tracking the behavior of drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians by use of AI powered thermal imaging cameras. It should be noted that the Council previously installed thousands of solar powered road stud lights and previously upgraded the reflectivity of road lines and signage. This test will not involve any residential areas.

Here’s something that you don’t hear every day. You may recall way back in November of 2023, we covered a news clip whereby Norfolk got $3M in federal aid to kick start a street light conversion estimated to cost $5 M. The streetlight conversion at that time was being administered by Dominion Energy.

Well, it appears that not everyone was a fan of this implementation, namely utilizing 3000K & 4000K color fixtures. The group, Citizens for Responsible Lighting, is a grassroots neighbor initiative pushing back against the harsh reality of these lights.  They are about a dozen people advocating for 2700K neighborhood lighting and 2200K sensitive environmental area lighting. 

Nancy, I think you’re going to appreciate this one. For over 200 years, parts of London have experienced the warm, some may call it cozy – glow of gas lamps. Gas lamps that are lit by hand still populate the city, but out of the initial 55,000, only 1100 lamps remain. 

Now there’s a small but vocal movement dedicated to preserving the remaining lamps. Per a CBS News clip, “Gas lamps give off this incredibly distinctive warm glow which can’t be replicated with a modern LED light.” The article notes that these lights are better for nocturnal species, in addition to their tangible architectural uniqueness and charm.

Let’s close out this show with some designations.

First up, the city of Leadville, Colorado, is assessing the viability of trying to become a dark sky designated city. The selling point here is tourism. The city has been paired with a Dark Sky mentor who is assisting in the draft ordinance. It should be noted that it appears the plan appears to have the backing of the energy company, Xcel.

The community of Banks Peninsula, sitting east of Christchurch in New Zealand’s South Island, is looking to gain a dark sky designation, and it’s largely due to the force that is Luca Devescovi. Devescovi claims to be pursuing this designation out of concern that his toddler son may never see the milky way. The next step for them is to build a lighting management plan.

Elsewhere in New Zealand, it appears that the community of Tasman, which sits on the north end of the Wai-iti Dark Sky Park, will be getting their first digital billboard…something that everyone surely is excited about….yay ads!  The digital billboard drew the ire of Ralph Bradley, the chairperson of the Top of the South Dark Sky Committee, who worries that structures such as these will undo Wai-iti’s designation status.

And quickly, the first two Dark Sky certified Lodging sites have been announced: ULUM Moab in Moab, Utah, and the Kestrel Nest EcoHut in New South Wales, Australia. Lastly – you knew it was about to happen – it’s official – Jackson Hole airport became the first dark sky airport. You can switch back to the last episode to learn more about what that all means.