The Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky (BCFNS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission “to promote and encourage the preservation and protection of the Night Sky in Blanco County; to support municipalities within Blanco County to obtain and sustain the International Dark Sky Community designation from the International Dark Sky Association; and to provide education and information to citizens of Blanco County of all ages in support of night sky preservation and light pollution abatement.”
The organization focuses on educating the public on night sky preservation and ending light pollution in the county.
There are a number of on-going projects throughout the year and throughout the county. On-going projects include: public presentations about night sky preservation; working with the Hill Country Astronomers to conduct star parties; conducting measurements of the darkness of the night sky using Unihedron Sky Quality meters; conducting outdoor lighting evaluations for businesses and organizations; helping the Blanco Chamber of Commerce implement its Night Sky Friendly Business Recognition Program and working with Johnson City to implement a similar program; assisting in using a portion of Blanco’s Hotel Occupancy Tax for night sky preservation; helping the Hill Country Alliance with the Night Sky Friendly Neighborhood Program and helping to proliferate Night Sky Friends groups throughout the Hill Country and beyond; conducting Night Sky Art and Essay Contests in Blanco and Johnson City ISDs; conducting a Night Sky Songwriting contest; assist other municipalities in writing outdoor lighting ordinances; helping draft legislative proposals for night sky preservation; and participating in initiatives of the Texas Chapter of the International Dark Sky Association (IDSA).
Public appearances provide helpful information to citizens. BCFNS encourages business owners and developers to help bring back the dark sky by pointing lights downwards instead of towards the sky. The Wizard of the Night Sky helps with these and adds a fun, creative side to the presentation. Volunteers use Unihedron Sky Quality meters semi-annually to measure the brightness of the night sky.
The first annual BCFNS Art Contest with the theme “Celebrating and Preserving the Night Sky” was held in 2019 and there were a total of 80 pieces submitted. The writing contest had writers focus on why it’s important to preserve the Hill Country’s starry night in two pages or less.
Also in 2019, the organization conducted a Night Sky Songwriting Contest and ended up putting 13 songs from mostly Blanco County artists on a CD, Deep in the Dark of Texas™, Vol 1. Unfortunately the songwriting contest has been postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic.
The City of Blanco’s Revised Outdoor Lighting Ordinance was passed in 2018 and helps qualify Blanco to be designated as an International Dark Sky Community by the IDSA. “The revised ordinance tightened up the requirements of the old ordinance but basically it requires only two major things: 1. all outdoor lighting must have a color temperature of 3,000 degrees Kelvin or less and 2. no outdoor lighting can shine off the property on which it is installed or upwards into the sky,” explained Wayne Gosnell, BCFNS president. With the designation, Blanco could promote itself as a night sky tourism destination.
The organization helps other counties develop their own Night Sky organizations and the goal is to have dark skies all across the Hill Country one day. Videos regarding night sky preservation issues and advice about working with inconsiderate neighbors are located on BCNS’s website which is www.blancocountynightsly.org. Tackling light trespassing is an ongoing issue and the organization is brainstorming ways to help this reduce this issue.
Anyone is free to join the organization and a person doesn’t need to live in the county. There are currently around 100 members, including 60 paid memberships. Membership is reasonably priced, costing $20 a year per household. A metal membership sign with reflective lettering can be purchased for $30. Deep in the Dark of Texas™, Vol 1 CDs can be purchased on their website or at Liz on the Square in Blanco and Whittington’s in Johnson City. The money earned goes towards replacing lights with a color temperature of 3,000 degrees Kelvin, fixtures, maintenance, etc.
There are no mandatory volunteer hours for members.
“However, the more active volunteers we have, the faster we can get rid of light pollution,” said Gosnell. “We like to say that of all the forms of pollution that mankind has foisted on this earth, light pollution is the easiest and least expensive to get rid of. All we have to do is get people, businesses, organizations and governments to redirect their outside lighting so that it points down where we need the light and not up where it is wasted and causes light pollution.
“And, unlike other types of widespread pollution, light pollution abatement can be done in our own lifetimes and it can be done without significantly increasing costs. All it takes is a group of dedicated people working for it. The old adage is ‘Think globally, act locally.’ That’s what we’re after and that’s why we need volunteers.”
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the board met on the third Wednesday of each month at El Charro Mexican Restaurant in Johnson City; a general membership meeting and Star Party occurred annually. Now, the board meets via Zoom, but members are still encouraged to attend.
There are many different volunteer opportunities within BCFNS. Current openings include: Night Sky News Gatherer; Night Sky Friendly Business Recognition Program Facilitator for Johnson City; Assistant Night Sky Friendly Neighborhood Program Facilitator; Night Sky Friendly Contractor Program Facilitator; Night Sky Friendly Fixture Shopper; Night Sky Data Darkness Recorder for North Blanco County; Night Sky Song Contest Facilitator; and New Member Follow-up Coordinator. Job descriptions can be found on the website.
