The article about the ilani hotel lighting impact on birds highlights the problem of light pollution harming migratory birds (“ilani hotel’s bright lights a bad path for birds flying to Clark County bird sanctuaries,” The Columbian, July 2).
It’s good to hear the hotel is making changes, but with the growth and development taking place in Clark County, much more needs to be done. Street and parking lot lights are a big contributor to light pollution, and even though they don’t point toward the sky, the amount of light reflected is considerable.
Technology is already in use that switches lights off if no cars, cyclists or pedestrians are present, and on when any are detected. Any new developments should be required to use this technology, and retrofits should be deployed wherever feasible. Total darkness is actually a treasure, and it’s getting more rare every day.
