DarkSky West Marin is a community-led initiative dedicated to preserving the night sky in this environmentally rich and uniquely biodiverse region. It is formed by the villages of West Marin diligently working together to become an International “DarkSky West Marin Community.”
Light Pollution Petition
Your action needed! Help us preserve the night by reducing outdoor light pollution in West Marin. Sign our petition on Change.org. It only takes a minute to read and sign it. We are asking Marin County decision makers to make Dark Sky Policy and a Lighting Ordinance a high priority in their West Marin Visioning plan. After you sign the petition, please share it with your friends and neighbors too! Finally, if you want to make a personal statement to county leaders, the names of the key decision makers are in the petition.
Marin County email addresses are all firstname.lastname@marincounty.gov.
Just click on our logo with the Sign the Petition text below. Thanks for your support!
Why Dark Sky?
Darkness is crucial to human health and even survival. We believe now more than ever that experiencing the beauty of the night is crucial both for humans and the world around us.
If you’ve ever had a sense of calm while looking up at the moon, or laying in a field and looking at the stars, then you’ve experienced something fundamental to humans. The changing of day into night is a process that’s embedded in each one of us and in nature. There are species of migratory birds that have evolved to navigate based on the subtle cues of moonlight reflecting on the waters below.
Recent studies have shown that fully experiencing darkness triggers numerous biological processes that repair DNA, protect against diseases such as cancer and diabetes, and can regulate depression and anxiety. It is even suggested that darkness can increase neural plasticity and creativity.
If you’re curious, visit a dark-sky spot on a clear night, turn off your lights, and let the darkness do its work. Give your eyes time to adjust — after about 20 minutes, your night vision will increase as your eyes produce rhodopsin, known as visual purple. You never know, you may get lucky with an owl sighting or seeing a shooting star.
Come, join us in preserving the dark sky.
Point Reyes Barn & Starry Sky ©️ 2016-2026 Marty Knapp
Courtesy of MartyKnapp.com