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W. H. Osborn, R. L. Hammer (Central Mich. Univ.), A. Hammer (Troop 648, Boy Scouts of America)
Light pollution is generally considered mostly an urban problem. Common sources of light pollution are poorly designed lighting of streets, parking lots, businesses and advertizing signs and for security. These sources, and the amount of light pollution generated, increase with population density. Nevertheless, light pollution can also be significant in rural areas. Rural light pollution differs from that in urban settings, both in the types of pollution and in the means that must be employed to control it. In the country the offending sources are often isolated lights such as from farm barns, vacation cottages, radio and cell phone towers, and road intersections. A culture of strong property rights and privacy rights affects attempts to control rural light pollution. We describe how some of these issues may be addressed based on the results from an Eagle Scout project carried out in central Michigan.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: W. Osborn, Dept. Of Physics, Central Michigan Univ., Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859, USA