SURVEY: Mountain View Dark Sky (respond by Dec. 10)

The City of Mountain View is developing a Dark Sky Ordinance. This effort follows years of community engagement and advocacy by SCVBA and other environmental groups, including the GreenSpacesMV and the Sierra Club. A well designed ordinance should adhere to the International Dark Sky Five Principles of Responsible Outdoor Lighting and:

Protect wildlife and habitat throughout the city.

Improve human health and wellbeing

Reduce light pollution and restore the visibility of the night sky and the stars

The City has issued an Online Survey - English, Spanish, Chinese). Please respond to the survey (it only takes 5 minutes, and you do not have to respond to every question)? Consider highlighting the importance to nature and to our health and well being. Also, at the very least, it is critically important to apply this ordinance to new construction, remodels, and voluntary replacement of lighting fixtures.

SURVEY: Access to levees in Sunnyvale

It is not too late to respond to the Sunnyvale Survey of Recreational (birding!) use of the Sunnyvale Baylands. The City of Sunnyvale is seeking public input to better understand how the Water Pollution Control Plant Treatment Ponds Interior Levee trails (see map) are used and what impacts a potential closure may have on the community. It takes 3 minutes to complete the survey.

Please consider expressing support for closing some interior levees to reduce disturbance to wildlife, but the plan needs refinement, including:
Keeping the east levee between Oxidation Ponds 1 & 2 open, because it is the only reasonable connector and has a parallel levee that provides the same wildlife benefits
Maintain access to the Moffett Channel for bird monitoring and eBird data collection, which is essential for tracking wildlife health.
Seasonal or foot-only access, better signage, and docent programs can protect wildlife without eliminating key observation routes.

Palo Alto update to the lighting ordinance to December 8th

The City Council has delayed the discussion of the update to the lighting ordinance to December 8th. This ordinance would set important limits on outdoor lighting to protect migrating birds, nocturnal wildlife, and human health, while saving energy and restoring our view of the stars. The ordinance follows best practices from the International Dark-Sky Association ensuring that outdoor lighting is used only where and when it’s needed without compromising safety or commerce. See our letter of recommendation to the council, and please watch for our Action Alert in the beginning of December.

San Jose is designing a Stormwater Capture Project near Kelly park.

A community meeting will be held Wednesday December 3 at 6pm, at the RF Kennedy Elementary School (1602 Lucretia Ave, San Jose). Please consider attending to advocate for native plants and pollinator gardens.