We live in a special place. We can ski powder in the morning and go to a Nuggets game that night. The temperature is perfect every day of the summer, and we now have wolves. I love it when a far away sales associate on the phone says, “You are so lucky to live there.” And next year I am hoping to brag that Breckenridge has been granted Dark Sky Community Certification by DarkSky International.

The Breckenridge Town Council passed a home and business lighting ordinance in 2007 to work toward being dark-sky friendly, which set a 15 year date for light fixtures on private property to comply by July 1, 2022. In 2020, the Town Council extended that date on non-conforming fixtures to July 1, 2025. In 2023 the council set the goal of achieving dark sky community certification after a public-initiated request and town research into the program requirements. 

When I first moved to a Breckenridge neighborhood over a decade ago there was plenty of light pollution obscuring the stars, but I now notice that many more stars are visible. This is partly due to Breckenridge replacing 463 street lights with dark-sky-friendly fixtures this past summer and most private properties coming into compliance with lighting codes. An additional 1,155 municipal-owned lights will be converted over the next five years to meet certification requirements. With more light replacement by the town and residents The Milky Way might become a vivid nightly attraction.

There have been some complaints to town government and in letters to the editor about the expense of replacing existing light fixtures. I am generally not a fan of regulations that raise costs to citizens, but, in this case, I think the economic benefits and enhancement of our quality of life far outweigh the expense. Locals joke that Summit County is a suburb of Denver, but when Front Rangers travel here they are coming for the mountains with blue skies above by day and dark skies at night. We have a tourism-based economy that can be jeopardized by not protecting our rural image. 

The tourism industry is very competitive, and potential visitors have a world of exciting destinations to choose from. The chance of seeing the Big Dipper from the balcony of a rental condo might be the extra enticement that leads someone from Dallas, Chicago or LA to choose to vacation in Summit County. The new customers and repeat visitors may result in a 3 or 4 percent increase in visits to the area, which will benefit business operators, workers, taxpayers — everyone.

Besides the economic incentive to pursue Dark Sky certification, there is much scientific evidence of the health benefits from less light pollution as reported recently by National Geographic. Humans did not evolve to live with artificial light. Light pollution can hinder our brains from releasing the hormone melatonin. This affects our sleep and the body’s ability to repair itself, which has been linked to numerous health problems including DNA damage, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and strokes.

In order to boost tourism to our state the Colorado Tourism Office has been encouraging communities to protect Colorado’s incredible night skies. They offer 70 hours of free consulting to qualified towns, and Breckenridge has made use of this program. The town of Frisco is currently studying ways to reduce light pollution and has been accepted into the Tourism Office’s dark sky consulting program for 2025. 

Whether you live in Breckenridge or elsewhere in Summit County take a moment to study your current outdoor lighting. Is it unnecessarily pointing up or to the sides, obscuring the night sky?  

If you are concerned about security install motion sensor lighting or bulbs so your lights are not on all night. Have fixtures that only shine downward where the light is needed, are not excessively bright and are a warm color when possible. A few changes may result in a significant reduction to your electric bill as well.

When I moved to Colorado, I did not choose the bright city lights of Denver. I came for Summit County’s natural beauty and small-town vibe. A dark, starry sky is an important part of that. Consider reducing your use of outdoor lighting. It is good for the community and for your health and attitude. As Vincent Van Gogh said, “I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.”

Paul Olson’s column “A Friendly Conservative” publishes biweekly on Tuesdays in the Summit Daily News. Olson has lived in Breckenridge since 1995. Semiretired, he works at REI in Dillon and enjoys snowboarding, Nordic skiing and hiking. Contact him at pobreck@gmail.com.