By Pat Straube, of Orchard Hill Country Inn
FOR GOOD REASON, IT’S DARK OUT THERE. 25 YEARS AGO, WE SUBMITTED OUR CONSTRUCTION PLANS FOR ORCHARD HILL TO SD COUNTY PLANNING AND THEN TO THE LOCAL ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW AND PLANNING BOARDS, UNUSUAL WE THOUGHT, WAS AN ITEM OF SCRUTINY – OUTDOOR LIGHTING. WE WERE FROM LOS ANGELES, “THEY” WERE TALKING ABOUT LIGHT POLLUTION, WE LOOKED AT ONE ANOTHER – “WHAT?” ALL LIGHT HAD TO BE POINTED DOWNWARD AND SHIELDED FROM ABOVE. LATER, AT OUR HOME IT WAS, “JUST A PORCH LIGHT.” “OKAY”, NO POLLUTION OF THE NIGHT SKY FROM US. IF YOU HAVE FLOWN INTO LA AT NIGHT, THE PILOT WILL OFTEN REMARK THAT BELOW IS THE GREATEST LIGHT SPECTACLE ON EARTH. WELL, WE WERE GOING TO DO OUR BEST TO KEEP PALOMAR IN THE DARK. JULIAN, WE WERE SOON TO DISCOVER, WAS A NEST FOR AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS. OUR MOUNTAIN SHELTERS NUMEROUS HOME OBSERVATORIES AND SCOPES OF EVERY SIZE ARE VISIBLE, TUCKED UNDER PORCH EAVES AND INSIDE BIG WINDOWS. A GROUP OF THESE LIKE-MINDED CITIZENS HAVE BANDED TOGETHER TO ACTIVELY PROTECT JULIAN’S DARK SKIES. LAST YEAR THEY PULLED OFF A WING-DING FIRST TIME EVENT: JULIAN NATURAL WONDERFEST THAT PULLED IN SOME 1200 SKYWARD FACING ENTHUSIASTS. BIGGER AND BETTER, THEY PLAN ANOTHER THIS YEAR ON AUGUST 3RD. (WWW.NATURALWONDERFEST.COM) ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE JULIAN DARK SKY NETWORK, DOUG SOLLOSY RECENTLY ASSISTED ORCHARD HILL ASSEMBLE PAIRS OF BINOCULARS AND A “PLANISPHERE” (CLEVER GUIDE TO THE SKIES) FOR THE USE OF OUR GUESTS. REGULARLY, BEGINNING SATURDAY JUNE 29TH DOUG WILL CONDUCT A STAR PARTY. PROVIDING SCOPES ALONG WITH HIS ENTHUSIASTIC KNOWLEDGE, DOUG WILL PRESENT A GOOD REASON FOR COOPERATING WITH STARGAZERS AND REDUCE YOUR ELECTRIC BILL AT THE SAME TIME. THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR THIS EVENT. PAT STRAUBE |