Dear Editor,

The public should acknowledge, with thanks to all Pedernales Electric Cooperative directors, the approval in August of a resolution by the PEC board of a commitment to protect the beauty of the hill country night skies. PEC has pledged to work with land owners, businesses, communities and public entities to reduce and modify the use of outdoor lighting that is starting to produce such glare that we are losing the beauty of our night skies here in the hill country. The significant growth in population in the hill country over the past thirty years is slowly eroding one of our area’s greatest assets – the beauty of our starlit skies.

All residents can play a part in saving our night skies by eliminating unnecessary nighttime lighting or using fixtures which eliminate or reduce the overwash glare from lighting fixtures.

Our cities can participate by adopting the IDA/IES model lighting ordinance as produced by the International Dark-Sky Association (http://www.darksky.org/MLO).

We owe it to ourselves and our grandchildren to do what we can.

Michael Lucksinger

Attorney at Law

Burnet, Texas