Friends of the Goldendale Observatory

In 2010, the Goldendale Observatory State Park in Washington became the sixth certified International Dark Sky Park in the world, and one of the first state parks in the United States to be so designated by the International Dark-Sky Association.

Washington State now has the unique distinction of being home to...

Dark Sky Defenders exposes the little-known facts and disturbing details surrounding the loss of the International Dark Sky Park status, the inconvenient truths of Washington State Parks mismanagement, and Goldendale and Klickitat County's decades-long betrayal of their promises to protect the Goldendale Observatory's night sky.

"Truth will ultimately prevail where there are pains to bring it to light."

George Washington

According to Troy Carpenter, Director of the Goldendale Observatory State Park, providing education about light pollution and advocating for conservation of the Observatory's night sky is a "low priority," an "unpopular politically charged issue," "hippie dippy activism," a "waste of money," and "pandering to amateur astronomers."

In a stunning reversal from Washington State Parks prior support for attaining the prestigious International Dark Sky Park designation for the Goldendale Observatory State Park in 2010 - which included provision of night sky conservation education programs - the Washington State Parks & Recreation Commission now opposes providing night sky conservation education or advocacy - and consequently "would go out of its way" to avoid a designation as an International Dark Sky Park.

Across the globe people are living under the increasing nighttime glow of artificial light, and over 95% of North Americans live under some level of a light polluted sky:

Artificial Night Sky Brightness due to Light Pollution in North America - A Preliminary picture of the growth from 1950 to 2025. P. Cinzano, F. Falchi, C. D. Elvidge & the US National Parks Service, 2001.

The light pollution levels previously predicted for 2025 arrived in the 2010s. Light Pollution Map 2015 Atlas.

Light pollution has many detrimental effects, including disruption of the natural life systems of plants and wildlife, wastes energy which contributes to the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and climate change, can interfere with human sleep and hormone cycles, and obscures the stars and nebulas in the night sky.

Weather satellites which have limited light pollution detection capabilities have previously indicated a 2% annual increase in light pollution. A new comprehensive study using a more accurate method of measurement has established a 4 times greater annual increase in light pollution - much of which is attributed to the explosion of cheaper and brighter light emitting diode (LED) outdoor lighting.

American Association for the Advancement of Science

In the headlines January 20, 2023

In order to be awarded the prized 24 inch telescope built by Clark College in Vancouver, Washington, Goldendale and Klickitat County promised to protect the night sky from light pollution which would interfere with its use as an astronomical science education and research tool.

No responsible observatory in the world - let alone an alleged science education facility - would take such a perverse position as to oppose providing public enlightenment about the value of conservation and protection of the night sky in general - or its own vitally important night sky environment...

Except the Goldendale Observatory State Park

Now just a stooge for local business interests, Washington State Parks doesn't want to see light pollution, hear about light pollution, or speak about light pollution.

A De Facto Subsidiary
of the Chamber of Commerce

Washington State Parks has deliberately excluded relevant and essential astronomy interests and stakeholders from any role in setting priorities for the Goldendale Observatory State Park, and thereby disregarded what's in the broader statewide public interest.

Instead, Washington State Parks entered a "partnership" with local business interests who view the Goldendale Observatory State Park as just another tourism "asset to leverage" and an "amusement park," and place little value or importance on a dark night sky for the Observatory. Together they oppose informing the public about light pollution or the existence - let alone enforcement - of long existing regulations to protect the Goldendale Observatory's night sky.

Therefore it is not surprising that the Director of the Goldendale Observatory State Park asserted light pollution from Goldendale and Klickitat County is a "low priority," and education about the subject of light pollution a "politically charged issue that makes us very unpopular" - with the local political and business interest "partners" of Washington State Parks.

On the other hand, echoing the Chamber of Commerce, the Goldendale Observatory Director declared Washington State Park's "absolute" priority is increasing tourism and economic support for local restaurants and hotels - which coincidentally includes a Goldendale hotel and other businesses owned by a State Representative and her family.

It's all about the money.

Distillation:

Getting away from Portland, Oregon's light pollution was a main reason to relocate the massive 24 inch telescope from Vancouver, Washington's Clark College to Goldendale. In order to obtain this historic telescope for the Goldendale Observatory, promises were made by community leaders in 1971 to protect it from the light pollution coming from Goldendale. Despite the presence of Goldendale and Klickitat County lighting codes put in place in 1979 for that purpose, the night sky of the Goldendale Observatory has been left unprotected from the damaging effects of almost 50 years of unchecked and increasing light pollution.
Washingtonians acquired the Goldendale Observatory in 1980. An astronomical observatory is an unusual asset for a state park system. A leadership culture apparently adverse to outside input, combined with a bureaucracy that's completely unfamiliar with this type of facility, and which is a relatively small part of the Washington State Parks system, led to the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission failure to involve any bona fide expertise for the Goldendale Observatory oversight and management. No regional or statewide stakeholder involvement or strategic long-term assessment or planning for the Observatory was apparently developed. Therefore, Washington State Parks failed to honor let alone seriously address the purpose for relocation of the Observatory's telescope away from light polluted skies, or its need for protection from night sky degradation from increasing levels of light pollution.
This vacuum and deliberate exclusion of stakeholder input and qualified managerial oversight has allowed State Parks personnel to pursue their own unchecked agendas, resulted in the waste of tens of thousands of dollars, and enabled a small group of local politicians and business interests to influence and dominate the priorities for the Goldendale Observatory State Park.
Facing a financial crisis, Washington State Parks chose to be deferential to and enter into an "economic development" focused "partnership" with these short-sighted and self-interested local business and political interests, and therefore has shown it is unwilling to use any political capital to challenge these interests' agenda when it conflicts with conservation of the night sky. Ignoring what's in the broader statewide public interest, conservation of the Goldendale Observatory's night sky has been relegated to a "red-headed stepchild" status by Washington State Parks.
Despite the importance of a dark night sky for its famous telescope, the night sky conservation education and advocacy requirements for being an International Dark Sky Park were therefore subverted by new Washington State Park management and Goldendale Observatory staff. In lockstep with local political and business interests' opposition to meaningful night sky protection, Washington State Parks personnel demonstrated no desire to provide education or advocacy for conservation of the Observatory's dark night sky due to it being "unpopular" with these isolated small-town business/political interests. This subservience and absence of leadership ultimately led to the revocation of the International Dark Sky Park designation - the first (and only) International Dark Sky Park in the world ever to be decertified.
This revocation came at the same time Washington taxpayers were about to spend 6 million dollars on facility upgrades for the Goldendale Observatory State Park, including costly enhancements to a telescope that requires a dark night sky for its superb views of the cosmos. The celestial grandeur the telescope was meant to explore will continue to suffer from easily preventable degradation due to a lack of protection by Goldendale and Klickitat County, and Washington State Park's opposition to provide education about or to responsibly advocate for night sky conservation.

Details:

The night sky is as much a part of the natural landscape and ecosystems as trees, mountains, rivers and lakes.

Light Pollution keeps over 80% of Americans from being able to see the Milky Way.

Part of the natural landscape. The stars of our home galaxy the Milky Way seen from Mt Rainier, Washington

Downtown Goldendale.

Fanciful murals on walls do nothing to ensure stars and nebulas remain visible in the sky.

Broken Promises Exposed

Friends of Goldendale Observatory honors the amateur astronomers and the community college who built the Observatory’s telescope, and as a condition of awarding the telescope required that it be protected from the night sky damaging effects of light pollution coming from Goldendale.

The Goldendale Observatory was originally intended to serve multiple constituencies and interests. Under the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, these constituencies have been discarded - without any stakeholder or public input or participation - and now it serves only one: local business interests of Goldendale and Klickitat County.

If the purpose of an Observatory is only to be a Discover Pass sales and "popular" tourism generating science entertainment venue with a compromised large observatory-class telescope set-piece ornament located in an increasingly light polluted sky, it would, could, and should have been left in the Portland Oregon and Vancouver Washington metropolitan area.

However, a small town tourism-focused public entertainment side show was not the reason for the telescope's construction and use. This large and sophisticated a telescope was specifically designed to be able to observe faint stars, nebulas, and galaxies. Built by amateur astronomers for Clark College in Vancouver, Washington, it was intended to provide the public with appreciation of astronomy and the night sky, and specifically included observational astronomy education for primary and secondary schools, as well as regional college students for science activities such as spectroscopy and astronomical imaging. It was also explicitly intended to be available for use by amateur astronomers "for their own observing programs."

It needed a dark night sky to do these activities, and why it ultimately wasn't located on the Clark College campus in Vancouver.

In 1971 The Oregonian newspaper in Portland, Oregon, reported on concerns by Clark College officials that the Observatory's proposed location might be too close to Goldendale due to light pollution from the town’s lights interfering with the telescope's intended uses and potential. Professional astronomers were consulted, who advised the adoption of lighting ordinances to limit light pollution coming from Goldendale and surrounding Klickitat County.

Therefore, as a condition of being awarded the telescope, Goldendale and Klickitat County leaders agreed that they would protect the night sky from light pollution through the adoption and enforcement of outdoor lighting regulations.

Even after a recent 6 million taxpayer-dollar renovation, the Observatory remains closed and its telescope unused 3 or 4 days a week. But unlike other similar facilities; astronomy educators, students, and amateur astronomers are largely if not completely excluded from using the telescope during these extensive "down times" or after hours by an Observatory Director who is opposed to such participation. Despite his claims to the contrary, astronomical research was one of the telescopes purposes, attested to by the telescope makers; publicly stated and encouraged at the Observatory's 1973 dedication; and specifically referred to in the lighting codes adopted for protection of the telescope's night sky.

Sky & Telescope April 1977

Of course most amateur astronomers are keenly aware of light pollution issues, and not shy about pointing it out and advocating for its mitigation, to the detriment of those wishing to downplay its presence and the necessary mitigation efforts.

It wasn’t until six years after the Observatory's completion in 1973 – spurred by amateur astronomers who came from around the world to see the February 26 1979 total solar eclipse (yours truly included) – that Goldendale and Klickitat County got around to adopting elementary outdoor lighting codes to protect the night sky of the Observatory.

However, Goldendale and Klickitat County have failed from the beginning to inform the public of their existence, let alone actually enforce the lighting codes, or provide education to the public about the importance of conserving a dark night sky for the Observatory. Therefore, protecting the telescope's views of the cosmos has never been a priority, and prohibited lighting is found today on City, County, and other publicly owned properties.

History shows the promises to protect the night sky of the 24 inch Clark College reflecting telescope were little more than a bait-and-switch scam.

Looking north towards Goldendale at the increasing number of unshielded LED outdoor lighting within the Klickitat Co. "Illumination Control District," with the Simcoe mountains in the distance, and Yakima Valley and the Tri-Cities beyond. The arrow marks the location of Goldendale Observatory. Photo: Mike McKeag

Looking south from the Goldendale Observatory. A damaged nightscape coming from the brighter, whiter, and lighting code violating unshielded lights of nearby Goldendale and the Klickitat County Illumination Control District. Photo: Bob Yoesle.

An “asset to be leveraged” and exploited for tourism – not protected for astronomy. The Goldendale Chamber of Commerce sees the Observatory as an "amusement park" and "key to getting people to stay at the hotels." Recently installed and grossly excessive unshielded bright-white LED motel lighting shines directly at the Observatory 1 mile away - violating the decade’s old lighting codes to protect the Goldendale Observatory’s starry night sky. Photo: Bob Yoesle.

Following Instead of Leading

Washington State citizens acquired the Observatory in 1980 with its purchase by Washington State Parks. But Washington State Parks was ill-equipped for leading and managing such a facility, and failed to formally involve astronomy stakeholders or expertise in the planning and oversight of the Observatory. Due to this lack of familiarity and importance, for Washington State Parks the Observatory was largely "out of sight and out of mind."

It doesn't take having an observatory to care about night sky conservation and protection. Many communities and state and national parks have since embraced a sincere advocacy for night sky natural resource conservation through an International Dark Sky Place designation.

Due to the initiative of the Goldendale Observatory State Park's (now retired) Interpretive Specialist Steven Stout, this included Goldendale Observatory State Park. Being an authentic astronomy enthusiast, Stout hoped the prestigious International Dark Sky Park status would lead to the local business and political community's support for night sky conservation and lighting code enforcement.

Unfortunately, Stout was greatly mistaken. The local behind-the-scene powers that run Goldendale and Klickitat County couldn't care less about astronomy or an Observatory - all they care about is exploiting the Goldendale Observatory for the money it can generate for local business interests through tourism.

Three years after attaining the International Dark Sky Park provisional designation, a change in Washington State Parks leadership and local Observatory management led to a "partnership" with the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce, who's anti-regulation Director Dana Peck was explicitly opposed to enforcement of the lighting codes intended to protect the Goldendale Observatory's night sky. This "partnership" led to an unprecedented absence of support for night sky conservation by Washington State Parks.

Fitting right in, not only did Washington State Parks new local management fail to put up required signage about the Observatory being an International Dark Sky Park and install non-compliant lighting at the Observatory, former Goldendale Washington State Parks Area Manager Lem Pratt and current Goldendale Observatory State Park Director Troy Carpenter went so far as to disparage education and support for night sky conservation as being part of an "environmentalist agenda," "hippie dippy activism," a "waste of money," and "pandering to amateur astronomers."

The irrationality of these statements from those operating an astronomical observatory cannot be over emphasized. These are profoundly ironic statements particularly considering the Observatory's telescope was specifically located in a rural area to get away from night-sky-damaging light pollution, and the Observatory wouldn't exist without the 24 inch telescope painstakingly built over many years by dedicated amateur astronomers. With the Goldendale Observatory traditionally being a mere afterthought for Washington State Parks, these statements and sentiments are a direct consequence of Washington State Parks managerial failures to engage with the astronomy and science education community, nearby amateur astronomers, and other relevant stakeholders.

Moreover, the night sky natural resource, especially important for an astronomical observatory which was located where it is because of its telescope's need for a dark night sky, seems to have been dropped from the universe of natural resources Washington State Parks seems to recognize, value, or cares to provide education about:

"Provide stewardship protection for an outstanding array of natural, cultural, and historic resources... Provide opportunities for the public to learn how parks contribute to everyone, even those that don’t visit them. Specifically, educate people about the benefits of natural resources like clean air, clean water, native habitat, carbon sequestration, water, filtration, storage and flood protection."

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
2021-2031 Strategic Plan - Achieving a healthy, sustainable park system.

Instead of providing education that promotes the general environmental, ecological, and societal importance of night sky conservation, or the especially important conservation and preservation of the Goldendale Observatory's night sky natural resource for astronomical purposes, Washington State Parks now prefers to "pander" to the conflicting goals of the local business and political community's opposition to night sky conservation advocacy and lighting code enforcement. Goldendale Observatory Director Carpenter echoes the statements of Jonathan Lewis, the former Chamber of Commerce Vice President who stated that the business community sees the Observatory as an "amusement park," its primary objective being "to getting people to stay at the hotels." Note that the Greater Goldendale Area Chamber of Commerce is directly subsidized by the City of Goldendale via hotel occupancy taxes.

Therefore, Washington State Parks has adopted this "amusement park" tourism-focused concept for the Goldendale Observatory State Park and preference for local economic exploitation over protection of the night sky natural resource. This is counter to what most people would consider important – especially for people who visit the Goldendale Observatory State Park from more heavily light-polluted urban and suburban areas of Washington State and who desire a dark night sky experience.

Washington - being a predominantly Democratic state - one might assume conservation and protection for the night sky would be a priority at Washington State Parks, especially for its historic observatory. Instead, Washington State Parks has abandoned advocacy for night sky conservation and protection of its former - and only - International Dark Sky Park and "Heritage Site" observatory, becoming the first state (or anywhere else) to have an International Dark Sky Place revoked.

On the other hand, adjacent Idaho, a predominantly Republican state, has multiple small communities which have embraced night sky conservation and protection. These communities have recently achieved the prestigious accomplishment of having the first designated International Dark Sky Reserve in the United States.

The initial and subsequently approved International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) application for designation as an International Dark Sky Park includes a November 2008 statement from then Washington State Parks Director Rex Derr that as part of the Goldendale Observatory's educational efforts, "people are encouraged to be aware of how to preserve the dark night sky environment." Derr added that the Goldendale Observatory's dark night sky was considered part of Washington State Parks "premier destinations of uncommon quality, including state and regionally significant natural, cultural, historical and recreational resources that are outstanding for the experience, health, enjoyment and learning of all people." Because of this support, in 2010 the Goldendale Observatory State Park became the sixth International Dark Sky Park designated in the world.

Several years later, the recently installed Goldendale Observatory State Park Interpretive Specialist Troy Carpenter failed to submit a required annual report to the IDA that was due in October 2016. In November at a meeting of the Rose City Astronomers in Portland, Oregon, Carpenter failed to even mention the Goldendale Observatory State Park was the only International Dark Sky Park in the Pacific Northwest, and publicly stated that light pollution at the Observatory was "a low priority," and claimed dark sky education was a "politically charged issue" and "makes us very unpopular" – without a shred of evidence to support this assertion. David Ingram of the Dark Skies Northwest Chapter of the IDA was particularly not impressed by Carpenter, noting that previous Goldendale Observatory Interpretive Specialist Steve Stout championed achieving one of the first International Dark Sky Park designations in the world, and was "a strong and unapologetic advocate for protecting the skies over GOSP." In contrast, Ingram noted Carpenter "does not seem to have the heart or will to acknowledge the historical dark sky stewardship of Goldendale Observatory State Park... In fact, he seems clearly willing to step away from that heritage."

Carpenter's late November 2016 annual report to the IDA listed the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce Vice-President Jonathan Lewis as a Goldendale Observatory State Park contact for the IDA, failed to include any required night sky quality measurements, and claimed the Observatory provided tens of thousands of people the allegedly "unpopular" dark-sky education programs. This was a lie. Carpenter himself wrote a potential visitor to the International Dark Sky Park who specifically inquired about having a presentation on light pollution: "we normally don't do presentations specifically on light pollution..." In reality, the required dark-sky programs were non-existent, and not a single person received the benefit of Goldendale Observatory night sky conservation enlightenment programs under Carpenter's tenure. This terse, incomplete, and falsified report was deemed inadequate by the IDA, and the Goldendale Observatory was suspended as an International Dark Sky Park in December 2016.

This forced the Washington State Parks Administration to submit a more detailed revised annual report in April 2017. This included night sky quality measurements made by Carpenter that were grossly inaccurate, and falsely indicated it might no longer meet any International Dark Sky Park night sky quality criteria. Given Carpenter's well-established history of making false statements in his annual reports to the IDA, and obvious lack of interest in an International Dark Sky Park designation which resulted in the suspension to begin with, it's flabbergasting that the Washington State Parks administration would gullibly trust and submit these obviously defective night sky quality measurements - demonstrating a lack of knowledgeable and qualified Observatory consultation or oversight. And while it acknowledged Carpenter had previously failed to provide dark sky education programs or conservation advocacy, it listed no subsequent dark sky education programs or advocacy meeting clearly described IDA standards.

Commendably with this attempt to lift the suspension of the International Dark Sky Park designation, Washington State Parks Climate and Sustainability Coordinator and Interpretive Program Manager Ryan Karlson stated “Preserving the dark sky at the Goldendale Observatory is part of our mission" and "we will promote the value of preserving our dark skies and support educational outreach to reduce the impacts of light pollution and other threats to this vulnerable natural resource.” Emphasis added. Furthermore, Washington State Parks Director Don Hoch told the IDA that Carpenter's "low priority" comments did not reflect Washington State Parks position, and that Washington State Parks supported and would be "providing educational experiences that help raise awareness of the impacts of light pollution on this valuable resource - the dark sky experience." Emphasis added.

Observatory Director Carpenter's popularity as a public entertainer, which has led to increased visitation and Discover Pass sales, also has resulted in the The Tail Wags the Dog: Washington State Parks bureaucracy is apparently so poorly managed that after the above statements were made by Washington State Parks leadership, Carpenter "didn't get the memo." Solidly in the pocket of the local business interests and politicians, and seemingly defiant of Washington State Park's top management officials - he continued refusing to provide any night sky conservation education or advocacy during the several months of the International Dark Sky Park suspension.

At the same time, and also in direct conflict with Karlson's and Washington State Parks Director Hoch's statements to the IDA regarding provision of "educational outreach" and "experiences," Steve Brand, Washington State Parks Partnership and Planning manager referred to a dark night sky at the Goldendale Observatory as a "concept," and required the Friends of Goldendale Observatory to remove night sky conservation education and advocacy from their official Operating Plan, stating it was "not part of operating the Park."

These statements are inconsistent with and inappropriate for an International Dark Sky Park or an astronomical observatory - let alone both. It's the equivalent of a hospital's surgical services manager stating that a sterile operating room environment is only a "concept" for a hospital, and not a part of actually providing surgical services. The result of Brand's directive was that there would be no officially sanctioned night sky education or conservation advocacy from anyone associated with Washington State Parks.

Removing night sky conservation education and advocacy from the Friends Operating Plan also nullified Carpenter's previous public praise for - and total reliance on - the Friends of Goldendale Observatory to do what Washington State Parks was obligated to do as an IDA certified International Dark Sky Park. As opposed to himself, Carpenter publicly stated "Our Friends group, however, does care very much about light pollution and they do work hard." Prior to this, however, Carpenter condemned the Friends for their light pollution and night sky education activities in writing as a "wasting money" and "hippy dippy activism."

The ongoing failure of Carpenter to provide any dark sky education activity or attempts to garner any community support for night sky conservation during the several-months-long suspension, along with Brand's statements and directions directly contradicting Hoch's and Karlson's assurances to the IDA that night sky conservation education would be provided by Washington State Parks – ultimately and deservedly resulted in the removal of the Goldendale Observatory State Park's prestigious International Dark Sky Park designation in September 2017 – the first and only International Dark Sky Park certification ever revoked:

“There’s a consensus view that the local management and staff have not shown sufficient commitment to the maintenance of the [International Dark Sky Park] designation through words or actions. To the extent that WSPRC does or does not exert supervision of park managers and their staff, it seems unable to change the culture at the Park in this regard.”

There are now 200 certified Dark Sky Places around the globe, 27 of which are State Parks in the United States.

Goldendale Observatory State Park is no longer one of them.

The Washington State Parks entrenched bureaucracy is unfamiliar with all things astronomical, and apparently has a management culture unable to engage broad stakeholder involvement or enlisting and consulting authentically knowledgeable and qualified outside expertise for such a unique (for them) facility. Its managerial personnel therefore have no unified vison and values or consistent goals and objectives for matters which they are inexperienced in dealing with. This resulted in difficulty determining whether conservation of a dark night sky for the Goldendale Observatory State Park and "Heritage Site" is:

1. Part of an "array of natural resources," and a "vulnerable" and "valuable natural resource" for which education and conservation advocacy takes place as part of Washington State Parks "mission” to “provide stewardship and protection" for Washington's citizens "cherished natural heritage" for "future generations."

OR

2. Some sort of highfalutin, "low priority" "concept" for which education and advocacy is "not a part of its mission or operations," but instead is considered part of an "environmentalist agenda" which only interests "hippy dippy activists," and constitutes a "waste of money" and "unpopular amateur astronomer pandering."

Washington State Parks could have easily, justifiably, and responsibly "leveraged" its position as the owner of the Goldendale Observatory State Park (and representing the interest of all Washingtonians), to conditioning additional Washington taxpayer investments in the Goldendale Observatory State Park to be predicated on Goldendale and Klickitat County honoring their promises and lighting codes to protect the Observatory's night sky, or alternatively relocating the soon to be demolished Observatory to a much better location such as the nearby and much darker Brooks Memorial State Park:

Goldendale Observatory State Park (Bortle 4) v. Brooks Memorial State Park (Bortle 2) overhead light pollution levels. Light Pollution Map

The Bortle Scale of overhead intensity of Light Pollution

Brooks Memorial State Park currently has minimal light pollution interference coming from Goldendale. Photo: Seattle Astronomical Society, Mark de Regt

A tremendous and missed opportunity: Given the concerns Clark College had about light pollution from Goldendale, had Washington State Parks been the original recipient of the Clark 24 inch telescope, the College would very likely have insisted its telescope be sited at Brooks Memorial State Park - a well known dark sky location for night sky enthusiasts - verses anywhere near the town of Goldendale.

Given Goldendale and Klickitat County's well-established disregard for night sky conservation and protection for the Goldendale Observatory State Park, the failure to consider this alternative with the Observatory's 2018 demolition and subsequent reconstruction is another indicator of Washington State Park's unsuitability to operate an observatory, and again shows its subservience to local business interests at the expense of the public's interest.

Instead, Goldendale Observatory State Park Director Carpenter reassured his primary constituency - Goldendale Mayor Canon and the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Peck - that despite the loss of the International Dark Sky Park status appropriately becoming public knowledge, Washington State Parks would reward decades of night sky neglect by giving the Goldendale Observatory an architecturally gorgeous and costly 6-million-dollar state-taxpayer-funded facility upgrade no matter what. In April 2018 Carpenter wrote: “Our status with a third-party organization [the IDA] with which we are no longer affiliated (and should not have been) has no bearing on our policies or capital project objectives.” Emphasis added:

Spin Control: No one ever implied a "false narrative" that an observatory "requires an IDA badge" in order to operate "the way a tavern requires a liquor license." This statement is simply another Carpenter invention to manipulate others to believe his way of thinking. Of course, for Carpenter there's apparently no need to be embarrassed about anything - including playing the pivotal role for the only International Dark Sky Place in the world ever to be revoked. And since Carpenter feels personally slighted by the IDA for rejecting his falsified reports - and held accountable for his other statements and behaviors that resulted in the International Dark Sky Park revocation - he rejects anything associated with the IDA, as stated below.

Washington taxpayer's multi-million-dollar near-total rebuilding of the Goldendale Observatory.

In contradistinction to Carpenter's anti-IDA declaration in April 2018, in April 2019 Karlson stated Washington State Parks would correct its previous deficiencies and seek reinstatement of an International Dark Sky Park designation, including provision of night sky conservation education, with a pledge to "work with the local community to ensure that is accomplished."

However, by April 2021 Washington State Parks apparently chose not to buck their local business 'partners' opposition to meaningful night sky conservation, and dropped pursuit of an International Dark Sky Park reinstatement or provision of night sky conservation education.

When publicly asked by a citizen about Washington State Parks commitment to seek community support for dark skies as part of regaining an International Dark Sky Park status, Carpenter stated: “We’re not going to be reapplying for that status; I would go out of my way to avoid doing so actually." Emphasis added.

Refuted by years of night sky conservation promotion provided by his predecessor Stout, Carpenter now writes “the requirements attached to the [International Dark Sky Park] status were not a good fit with WA State Parks operating policy,” stating they would “require parks staff to behave in an activist or legislative capacity.” Emphasis added.

Carpenter's propagandistic negative connotations that providing education regarding conservation of the night sky is allegedly being "activist," and that supporting already existing outdoor lighting codes is acting in a "legislative capacity," is simply more of Carpenter's absurd obfuscation and sophistry. That Washington State Parks leadership would gullibly buy into such nonsense is shocking - but apparently successful. Contradicting previous statements from Karlson, former Washington State Parks employee and Goldendale Observatory interpretive staff James Day stated to a visitor from Seattle in August 2022 that an International Dark Sky Park status "is not within the mission or scope of Washington Parks." Emphasis added. Day is now the President of the Friends of Gorge Area Parks.

Washington State Parks has a Climate and Sustainability Coordinator who promoted conservation and education about the Goldendale Observatory's "vulnerable night sky natural resource" as part of its "mission," a Director who called the night sky a "valuable resource," and a Strategic Plan which promises to "educate the public about the benefits of an array of natural resources." Yet Washington State Parks has apparently implemented new "operating policies" that removed night sky conservation as part of its mission, and precludes providing education about, or advocating for, the sustainability of the Goldendale Observatory State Park Heritage Site's "vulnerable and valuable night sky natural resource."

Therefore, the night sky of Washington apparently is no longer considered a suitably vulnerable or valuable natural resource worthy of education, conservation, and protection by Washington State Parks. Otherwise, if the night sky remained such a resource, the WSPRC Strategic Plan which promises education, stewardship, and protection of an "array of natural resources" wouldn't be worth the paper it's written on.

Violating its own alleged "core value" of "Involving the public in our policy development and decision making," and without the benefit of knowledgeable and qualified management or consultation, Washington State Parks leadership abandoned both pursuit of an International Dark Sky Park status and provision of "educational experiences" concerning part of its "mission" of conservation of the Goldendale Observatory's "valuable" and "vulnerable" night sky natural resource, completely devoid of any public notice - let alone involvement.

Proving that the tail does indeed wag the dog, Washington State Parks apparently came to believe it's more important to surrender to the nearsighted local political and business interests and their unwillingness to engage in any meaningful night sky conservation - or even have it as a publicly discussed issue - rather than give priority to what's overwhelmingly in the public's interest, and the protection of a dark sky astronomy experience at an observatory facility which has proudly claimed to be "famous for its dark skies."

More significantly, Carpenter's disparaging "activist" label and laughably ridiculous "behaving in a legislative capacity" rationales regarding the IDA's night sky conservation education and advocacy requirements apply to any Washington State Park, not just those in Klickitat County and Goldendale.

Apparently what's not only acceptable but beneficial for other public observatories, other state park systems including the adjacent state of Oregon, and the U.S. National Park Service is somehow not so good for Washington.

Thanks to the local political and business community's antipathy for the existing outdoor lighting codes, and its subservient "partner" Washington State Parks resultant aversion for night sky conservation education and advocacy, here's a sign you haven't seen in Washington State:

And never will.

On the other hand, the adjacent States of Oregon and Idaho have chosen to embrace conservation of their irreplaceable night sky natural heritage:

Note the numerous small towns and communities in rural Idaho which support night sky conservation and have implemented lighting regulations to protect the night sky in order to first achieve - and then maintain - their International Dark Sky Reserve designation.

Since 1980 Washington State citizens and taxpayers have provided many millions of dollars for the operation of and upgrades to the Goldendale Observatory State Park and its historic telescope. Yet the Park's most important asset – the quality of the night sky – is continuing to be degraded for future generations at the behest of the local political and business establishment, while Washington State Parks stands by and watches without saying a word.

Therefore, the failure of Washington State Parks to promote night sky conservation and protect taxpayer investments in the Goldendale Observatory State Park are a betrayal not only of the founding principles of the Observatory, but of the fiduciary responsibility to care for public assets the State of Washington has stewardship and responsibility for.

Make-Believe Public Policy

You can't fix what you don't know about. Most people in Goldendale and Klickitat County remain completely unaware of the issue of light pollution, the negative effects on the Goldendale Observatory State Park, or the existence of the lighting codes intended to prevent light pollution and protect the Observatory. Local political and business interests want to keep it that way.

Washington State Parks is their willing accomplice.

Photo by Mason Trinca, Yakima Herald-Republic

Light pollution from Goldendale, 2014. Troy Carpenter, Washington State Parks

Over 45 years' worth of unrestrained light pollution - visible as the illumination of the south side of the Goldendale Observatory on a clear moonless night - coming directly from the City of Goldendale and surrounding Klickitat County.

Satellite measurements of light pollution

Downtown Goldendale: Klickitat Co. Courthouse and County jail with prohibited unshielded lighting. Bob Yoesle

Inaction Speaks Louder than Words

For decades the City of Goldendale and Klickitat County have broken the promises - and their subsequently adopted lighting codes - under which they were entrusted with the Goldendale Observatory's historic telescope, and without which the Observatory wouldn't exist... at least not in Goldendale or Klickitat County:

Purpose:

Protect a dark nighttime sky and visual environment near the Goldendale Observatory.

Prevent excessive illumination, glare, and reflection in areas adjacent to astronomical research facilities, such as observatories, where such light intrusion would hinder use of sensitive optical devices.

Goldendale and Klickitat County lighting codes.

The Illumination Control District boundary for protecting "a dark nighttime sky" for the Goldendale Observatory (red dot) Klickitat Co., Washington.

These unpublicized and unenforced lighting codes and unfulfilled promises to protect the Observatory telescope's night sky were and remain a classic "bait and switch."

While the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce Director Dana Peck openly proclaimed their priority is to exploit the Goldendale Observatory as a "marketing tool" for local "economic and commercial gain" – reinforced by Washington State Park's Observatory Director Carpenter parroting that this is "absolutely our priority" (while publicly declaring light pollution is a "low priority") – the Chamber, Goldendale, and Klickitat County's failure to inform or educate the public about or promote the lighting codes for night sky conservation demonstrates local political and business interests do not care about the Observatory's fundamental purposes, conserving the beauty of its star-filled night sky, or protecting the Washington State taxpayers' substantial investment in their community.

Below is a small sample of City, County, and Federal government buildings, commercial and residential city and countryside outside lighting – much of it installed since the 2017 lighting code revision – which is grossly excessive or violates the lighting code requirements for full cut-off shielding of outdoor lighting.

Note the dramatic proliferation of unshielded blue white "daylight" LED lighting and signage which is exceptionally damaging to the night sky, as well as having significant human and environmental health effects. At the insistence of city-appointed lighting task force business representatives and home-grown anti-regulation business owner-politicians, draft regulations meeting night sky conserving lighting code "best practices" which addressed excessive "total area lumens," high "color temperature" lighting elements, and improper illumination of outdoor signs, were deliberately removed from the 2017 Goldendale lighting code revision.

All photos were taken from April 2020 to April 2021 between 1 am and 4 am local time:

A predominance of trashy prohibited unshielded lighting, and a 45-plus year failure to “protect a dark nighttime sky and visual environment near the Goldendale Observatory” and “prevent excessive illumination, glare, and reflection...” Photos: Bob Yoesle

Classy – not trashy. One of the few dark sky compliant outdoor lighting examples in Goldendale. A Carnegie Library with fully shielded, night-sky conserving "warm" color temperature fixtures, and non-excessive and well-placed levels of illumination. Not difficult or expensive to do if you care about what is best for the Observatory – and the community. Photo: Bob Yoesle

Below: "Fisheye lens" all-sky view seen from the Goldendale Observatory. The "light dome" from Goldendale extends along one-quarter or more of the southern horizon and half-way to directly overhead. The first image is the original exposure. The second image is an enhanced version to show the true extent of light pollution relative to the brightness of the Milky Way. The third shows relative light pollution brightness contour levels. Photos: Bob Yoesle

Enmeshment:

Most anyone who has viewed the Observatory's night sky over the years notes the light pollution has grown brighter year after year, and is located in one of the most important parts of the sky – to the south, where the center of the summer Milky Way lies.

This included Observatory Director Troy Carpenter, who in early 2014 - before Peck become the Director of the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce and the "partnership" with Pratt and Carpenter - stated the following:

"There is already too much light pollution from town to get a good view of deep space objects in the southern sky, like the center of our galaxy... The dark sky situation could be better... The reality is that you could find darker skies in this part of the state by driving up the highway a few miles… and that’s unfortunate, because, obviously, we have an observatory here. It’s not abysmal, but at the same time it’s getting worse... it’s not getting better. In the short time I’ve been here, I have been negatively affected by the light pollution… There are certain objects I wanted to show the visitors and they didn’t look right… they didn’t look good because of the washed out background light, so it’s just a real issue."

Now beholden to the marketing priorities of his Washington State Parks "partner" - the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce which hosts and supports his personal Goldendale Observatory website - Carpenter currently writes that "Goldendale Washington features beautifully dark skies and the city has taken steps to make them even darker with the installation of full-cutoff and dimmable LED street lamps."

This statement contradicts the facts known about most all LED streetlights, and is a complete fabrication.

Unfortunately, the brighter and whiter LED streetlights of Goldendale are twice as damaging to the night sky as the fully shielded high pressure sodium (HPS) streetlights they replaced. And as shown above, decades of uncontrolled proliferation of unshielded outdoor lighting, now compounded by an explosion of unshielded blue-white LED outdoor lighting, adds insult to injury:

A dramatic display of Light pollution at Goldendale Observatory State Park coming mostly from bright blue-rich LED outdoor lights in Goldendale - located 1 mile (1.6 km) behind the camera - spreads outwards for many miles, flooding a cloudy sky and the snow-covered landscape with artificial light on a moonless night, December 23, 2022. A rare form of light pollution - a multitude of "light pillars" coming from prohibited unshielded outdoor lights - is located nearby in light polluted areas of Klickitat County. Normally this light pollution is scattered by aerosols, dust particles, air molecules and water vapor much higher in the atmosphere creating a diffuse "sky glow." Bright light pillars form during cold calm weather when very small ice crystals drift horizontally close to the ground. Millions of these ice crystals act like tiny mirrors, redirecting a small amount of the light pollution coming from the unshielded light source back towards the ground where it can be observed, making it appear as if a beam of light is coming from the sky. Photo: Troy Carpenter.

Formation of light pillars. Wikipedia

Besides lying about the night sky of the Goldendale Observatory having become “beautifully dark,” Carpenter is fond of making rationalizations for the light pollution from Goldendale and Klickitat County not being as bad as at other observatories like those in Los Angeles - which therefore somehow makes it acceptable not to promote night sky conservation in Goldendale.

Just like Goldendale Observatory, Mt Wilson Observatory was built just north of a population center - Los Angeles.

Despite their promises to the telescope makers and Clark College, and inspite of the 40-plus year presence of lighting codes, since there is no control of light pollution by the City of Goldendale and Klickitat County, all it will a take is a little more time:

Recent NASA satellite imagery (left) corrected for factors such as cloud cover, vegetation, and land cover type. The data has been validated with measurements taken on the ground. State-of-the-art modeling of light pollution (right) showing Goldendale (arrowed) has not become "even darker" after the installation of LED streetlights. Indeed, the night sky has significantly deteriorated with the switch from HPS to 3000 K LED streetlights, and the spread of even more blue-rich unshielded LED outdoor lighting in Goldendale and throughout nearby Klickitat County:

The "light domes" of Yakima WA and Goldendale (with a pink aurora in 2017). Note the large relative increase by Goldendale in only 3 years, and the increase in unshielded lights throughout the Lighting Control District. Photos: Mike McKeag

Light pollution in the night sky at the Goldendale Observatory State Park has gone from being accurately described by Carpenter in 2014 as "already too much" with a portion of the night sky "washed out," and "not abysmal but getting worse," to Abracadabra - miraculously transformed into being "beautifully dark" and getting "even darker."

With Carpenter openly proclaiming the Goldendale Observatory State Park's No.1 priority is serving the tourism and economic needs of the local business and political community, and a dark night sky having been relegated to being a "low priority concept," Washington State Parks now downplays the existence and lies about the extent of increased light pollution at the Observatory. Discussion of light pollution is claimed to be "a politically charged issue and makes us very unpopular" - obviously referring to the political/business community who have deliberately ignored the lighting codes and dramatically worsened light pollution at the Goldendale Observatory, despite promises and lighting codes purposed to do the opposite.

Most significantly, being honest about increasing light pollution at the Goldendale Observatory is not conducive to promotion of Observatory visits or the sale of Washington State Parks Discover Passes, or the "prime directive" of non-interference with the promotion and generation of tourism dollars for Washington State Parks business community "partners." Therefore, State Park staff will not initiate a discourse on the existence of light pollution or the ever-increasing need to conserve the night sky of the Goldendale Observatory State Park. Fear of bringing attention to these facts is revealed by discussion and education about light pollution and its effects being condemned by Carpenter as "pandering to amateur astronomers," behaving as a "hippy dippy activists," and a "waste of money."

Demonstrating a lack of agency-level recognition - let alone formal policy support - for night sky conservation at the Goldendale Observatory State Park, Lem Pratt - the Washington State Parks Area manager who was transferred to Goldendale in December 2012 - implemented his personal values and judgements with regard to night sky conservation at the Goldendale Observatory State Park. Carpenter stated that Pratt considered the Goldendale Observatory's International Dark Sky Park status part of an "environmentalist agenda" he would like to see "go away."

Pratt first hired Carpenter as an entry level Park Aide, and promoted him to become the interim Goldendale Observatory Interpretive Specialist following the early retirement of Steve Stout in June of 2013. It was Stout who championed the International Dark Sky Park Status for the Observatory. Carpenter went through an abbreviated hiring and perfunctory interview process by Pratt to get the permanent Observatory Interpretive Specialist position. As previously described, Carpenter was instrumental in the revocation of the International Dark Sky Park status of the Goldendale Observatory State Park in 2017. Carpenter was then given the title of "Observatory Director" and received a large pay raise.

Pratt left Washington State Parks to ironically - but not surprisingly - become the Code Enforcement Officer for Klickitat County. You can't make this stuff up. Pratt no doubt came highly recommended by former Klickitat County Economic Development Director and Goldendale Chamber of Commerce Director Peck.

During the 2014 radio interview above, when Carpenter was asked about Washington State Parks connection to the "dark sky movement," Carpenter's nonsensical but telling response was "there was some confusion about that. The reality is they're not."

Really? Goldendale Observatory State Park at that time was a Certified International Dark Sky Park and would remain so for 2 years, with Carpenter submitting falsified annual reports to the International Dark-Sky Association in order to maintain the prestigious astro-tourism generating designation.

Carpenter is fond of gaslighting by claiming there is "confusion" or "misunderstanding" needing clarification when the factual statements presented by others disagree with his preferred reality (e.g. audio clip above and on April 29, 2021 contradicting Karlson's previous April 2019 statements). Channeling his boss Pratt, Carpenter employed his habitual sophistry by stating that "We don’t want a situation where people think the state government is trying to tell local municipalities what to do. Same with the Observatory; we’re not trying to tell anyone what to do.”

The City of Goldendale and Klickitat County had promised and adopted lighting codes for protecting the night sky of the Goldendale Observatory's telescope from light pollution before Washington State Parks ownership. Yet Carpenter and Washington State Parks are not going to inform anyone they exist, or advocate that the lighting codes be enforced by the responsible jurisdiction to protect the natural night sky environment of the Observatory that the municipalities themselves have codified, and who would be responsible for their enforcement - NOT Washington State Parks.

Feel like dumping your garbage into or polluting a Washington State Park river or lake? Washington State Parks is not going to tell you (especially if you're a local business owner and/or Washington State political Representative) there’s a federal, state, county, or city law against it. Washington State Parks apparently won't be willing to ask the appropriate responsible jurisdiction to enforce their applicable water pollution laws to prevent such illegal activity – because Washington State Parks is "not going to tell anyone what to do."

Coming soon to Washington State Park's pro-local economic development itinerary:

For Washington State Parks clean water is no longer considered a "vulnerable" or "valuable" natural resource, and instead is just a "concept" for a State Park with a lake. And while water pollution looks crummy, you don't really need clean water to jet ski or motorboat. In spite of local regulations intended to prevent it, education about and advocacy for the mitigation of water pollution is considered "unpopular" and "politically charged" - especially with Washington State Park's "partners" - the local water polluters who have ignored and violated the water pollution regulations for decades and see the State's lakes as nothing more than "assets to leverage."

Despite being "famous" for their "clear clean waters," water pollution is obvious in select parts of the State Parks lakes, but only kills a few fish, frogs, birds, and other wildlife. It can therefore be minimized, ignored, and lied about in order to promote park visitation and the tourism businesses financial interests without too much public backlash. While they're at it, let's reward the polluters with a new state taxpayer-funded 6-million-dollar visitor center to increase visitation and help the marina fuel operators, RV parks, hotels, restaurants, and other polluters get more money so they can expand operations and pollute even more.

To get even more appreciation from the polluters, education concerning water pollution can be condemned as "wasting money," "pandering to naturalists," and part of a "hippy-dippy" "environmentalist agenda." Washington State Park's tourism-focused stooges for local business interests won't take issue with their "partners" water pollution, and the polluters and their anti-regulatory political allies won't get upset over State Parks personnel advocating for clean water in compliance with the law, which goes against the polluter's petty financial interests. The Washington State Parks bureaucracy will be safe from feared retaliatory cuts by avoiding mentioning any clean water concerns or environmental advocacy whatsoever.

Whatever you do - don't rock the boat...

What else could or would you expect from a State Parks system?

A Bogus Application for a Pretend Purpose

Goldendale has gone to great lengths to solicit grants in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to improve its small and infrequently used municipal airport serving a few private and local business interests who apparently don't wish to have to fuel up their private planes in Dallesport 19 miles away. Demonstrating their authentic anti-regulation credentials and a disregard for the protection of public's health, safety, and welfare, the City of Goldendale awarded $13,000 in 2023 to ABATE of Washington - an anti-motorcycle safety helmet law organization - for a demolition derby tourism event.

At the same time, Goldendale hasn't done a thing to raise or provide funds to retrofit the extensive unshielded outdoor lighting it has allowed to violate its lighting codes for decades. The same goes for Klickitat County. Nor has Goldendale used any of the $60,000 or more per year in electricity cost savings from a 2017 LED streetlight conversion (paid for by a state transportation improvement grant) for replacing unshielded lighting, lighting code education, or night sky conservation and support.

"An International Dark Sky Community is a town, city, municipality or other legally organized community that has shown exceptional dedication to the preservation of the night sky through the implementation and enforcement of a quality outdoor lighting ordinance, dark sky education and citizen support of dark skies. Dark Sky Communities excel in their efforts to promote responsible lighting and dark sky stewardship, and set good examples for surrounding communities." International Dark-Sky Association.

Goldendale and Klickitat County have shown an exceptional lack of dedication to the preservation of the night sky through the implementation and enforcement of quality outdoor lighting ordinances. As definitively demonstrated in the photos above, they won't even implement or enforce the substandard ordinances that have been in place since 1979. Additionally, they and the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce have provided no significant or sustained dark sky education, promotion, or public support for the importance of night sky conservation for the Goldendale Observatory State Park.

Unlike Goldendale and Klickitat County – Flagstaff Arizona, the first International Dark Sky Community, and surrounding Coconino County, strive for and have earnestly implemented quality outdoor lighting ordinances for the protection of the night sky of their historic Lowell Observatory.

In early 2018 the IDA offered Goldendale Mayor Mike Canon direct open-ended assistance at no cost to pursue an International Dark Sky Community status to replace the Goldendale Observatory State Park's forfeited International Dark Sky Park designation. There could be no better assistance or expertise to achieve such a designation:

Mayor Canon never responded.

It is bizarrely twisted – yet completely predictable – that Mayor Canon and the City of Goldendale would reject the free of cost assistance and unquestionable expertise of the IDA, and instead wait until January 2019 and initiate a $10,000 1 year contract with then Goldendale Chamber of Commerce’s anti-regulation Director Dana Peck - who the Mayor knew outright rejects enforcement of Goldendale and Klickitat County lighting codes intended to protect the Observatory’s night sky - to submit a Dark Sky Community Application to the IDA, and develop an alleged educational plan for encouraging "voluntary" compliance with the city's lighting code:

2019 City of Goldendael contract with the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce. Note there are only 2 poorly elaborated deliverables, with the rest being vague boilerplate.

In 2003, Peck - then Director of Klickitat County Economic Development and well known for "protecting jobs in our region from regulatory threats" - led a small group of local yokels to successfully shut down the Friends of Goldendale Observatory due to their advocacy of enforcement of the Goldendale and Klickitat County 1979 lighting codes adopted to protect the night sky of the Goldendale Observatory.

Mayor Canon and the Goldendale City Council's expending thousands of public tax dollars in order to contract with Peck and the Chamber of Commerce - instead of utilizing the no-cost and unrivaled expertise of the IDA - to achieve an International Dark Sky Community status which includes “preservation of the night sky through the implementation and enforcement of a quality outdoor lighting ordinance,” was equivalent to hiring Jeffry Epstein as a chaperone for your teenage daughter at the prom in order to preserve her virginity.

The deceitful and corrupt culture of provincialism and "good old boy" shenanigan's and conflict of interests demonstrated by this arrangement with Peck and the Chamber of Commerce is typical of what passes for public policy development and its implementation in Goldendale.

Fitting right in and using his customary hyperbole, Washington State Parks Goldendale Observatory Director Carpenter wrote: “New area parks management are working closely with the IDA, local businesses, and community leaders to apply for an IDA status which acknowledges the darkness of the site but does not require parks staff to behave in an activist or legislative capacity.” Emphasis added.

Given her naïveté and lack of familiarity with the players and issues it's not surprising that the "new" Washington State Parks area manager Jill Sprance (who replaced Pratt and has some biological science acumen, but similarly appears to have no astronomy related background, education, or expertise) would be duped by Carpenter into engaging with and participate in this fraudulent Goldendale/Peck/Chamber of Commerce Dark Sky Community "effort."

The bottom line is that Washington State Parks and the City of Goldendale wanted a Dark Sky Place status for their tourism and Discover Pass money-generating ability. At the same time, they absolutely loath the requirements to provide allegedly "unpopular" public education or adopt authentic night sky conservation measures to secure and maintain an International Dark Sky Place designation. So they similarly attempted to deceive the IDA in their processes and applications to keep and/or secure the Dark Sky Place designations.

IDA Dark Sky Program personnel headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, denied they had any involvement or consultation with this effort - which would be obvious to ANYONE familiar with the IDA Dark Sky Community application processes or requirements.

The Dark Sky Community designation effort was therefore doomed from the start:

In order to meet a provisional status as an International Dark Sky Community, Goldendale would have had to submit an application that included a thorough inventory and incorporated a detailed plan to bring into compliance 90% of all of the accumulated non-dark-sky compliant outdoor lighting in the City of Goldendale within 5 years’ time. No such inventory was attempted, let alone submitted, and therefore the application obviously included no plan for bringing decades of non-compliant lighting into compliance with modern standards.
Peck's and the City of Goldendale's application made a totally false and unsubstantiated claim that "the City, working in partnership with the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce, has engaged in an extensive community stakeholder outreach effort focused on the importance of dark skies over the last several years." (Emphasis added.) This was a bald-faced lie. Why else would the City Goldendale have to contract with the Chamber as shown above to "develop" a "plan" for such education only 1 year earlier? Additionally, the Dark Sky Community application would have had to include documented, well-established and ongoing public support and educational outreach programs for night sky conservation - which were and remain non-existent.
The application would have had to show the adoption of an "effective and enforced" lighting ordinance which included regulating the color temperature values of outdoor lighting, establishing night sky friendly total lumen values per area, and limiting the brightness of illuminated outdoor signs – all of which are Dark Sky Community lighting ordinance requirements which were deliberately removed from the draft Goldendale lighting code revision in 2017 after intervention from Goldendale native and anti-regulatory State Representative Gina Mosbrucker and local business operatives - and without objection by Peck for the Chamber of Commerce, or Washington State Parks.
This lighting code would need to be in place at the time of the application to be considered. While acknowledging the current lighting code was below standards - and despite having over a year to have done so - no effort to re-include the removed provisions or otherwise bring the lighting code up to IDA Dark Sky Community standards was made, let alone adopted by the City of Goldendale.
No documentation was provided that showed the current sub-standard lighting code is enforced - because it isn't.

While it took over a year for the Chamber/City of Goldendale to submit a Dark Sky Community application to the IDA in March of 2020, it was so grossly inadequate and incomplete that it was immediately rejected:

"Frankly, as proposed the Provisional IDSC for Goldendale, WA has absolutely no chance of being approved by the DSPC [Dark Sky Places Committee]... it appears the City fundamentally misunderstands the IDSC [International Dark Sky Community] certification process at this time." IDA Dark Sky Places Program Manager Adam Dalton, May 2020; emphasis added:

DarkSky International

The Goldendale Chamber of Commerce, acting as a proxy for the City of Goldendale, and "working closely" with its "partner" Washington State Parks, did not misunderstand anything.

Did a Chamber of Commerce Director opposed to the enforcement of the preexisting inadequate lighting codes suddenly become converted to the need of lighting code improvement, dark sky education, and lighting code enforcement required for an International Dark Sky Community designation?

Or was the entire exercise a devious half-baked scheme to hopefully get a tourism-generating "provisional" Dark Sky Community designation which could be exploited for tourism purposes, yet had no intention of meaningfully following through on?

One year later on April 29, 2021, when asked about the status of achieving an International Dark Sky Community designation, Mayor Canon responded, "It's still continuing, I haven't gotten an update on where we are on it – we should be there." They weren't, and never were remotely close.

The Dark Sky Community application was immediately rejected due to it's obvious inadequacies: All the detailed and extensive measures which need to be completed prior to a Dark Sky Community application submission were essentially only promised to take place at a future time. When the pre-application requirements were apparently "discovered" by Peck via the application rejection, there was no effort by the Chamber of Commerce or the City of Goldendale to correct the deficiencies and follow through in meeting the requirements, and then resubmit the application.

To this day there remains no plan - let alone a functional program - to educate the public about Goldendale lighting codes or compliance therewith - voluntary or otherwise. And because the City of Goldendale and the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce have never had information about the lighting codes displayed anywhere, it would be difficult to voluntarily comply with something if you don't know it exists. And as noted previously, their Washington State Parks "partner" is now completely silent on the issue of light pollution - other than to downplay its presence let alone significance.

Mayor Canon was apparently never informed by Peck of the application's rejection and made no inquiries for over a year to as the Dark Sky Community application status (despite "requirements" for quarterly updates) - or he simply was lying when he said "it's still continuing... we should be there." The Goldendale Chamber of Commerce took the City's money and ran, while the Mayor and City Council looked the other way.

When asked about Mayor Canon's statement to the public that the Dark Sky Community process was "continuing," the IDA Dark Sky Place Program Manager responded "there’s nothing 'continuing,' because I find no evidence that anything ever started."

Goldendale and the Chamber of Commerce apparently viewed a Dark Sky Community designation as something easy to accomplish by attempting to bamboozle the IDA with a bogus provisional Dark Sky Community application - just as Carpenter had done with his previously falsified International Dark Sky Park annual reports to the IDA. And as with Carpenter and Washington State Parks, they only wanted the notoriety from the International Dark Sky Community designation in order to help generate tourism dollars and Discover Pass sales. Why else would you reject the direct assistance and expertise of the IDA for a complex and lengthy International Dark Sky Community application process, and instead go with a con-man like Peck and a totally unqualified Greater Goldendale Area Chamber of Commerce?

The cast of characters had not changed. Washington State Parks, Goldendale, and the Chamber of Commerce have made it clear their only motivation for a Dark Sky Place status is local commerce and revenue - not conservation of the night sky.

As with people, you can tell a lot about an agency by the company ("partners") it keeps. Like an academic fraud who thinks they deserve a college degree to look good on a resume without doing any actual scholastic work, when caught cheating on their IDA applications or having to honestly address the requirements for providing night sky education or implementing real measures to protect the night sky natural heritage of the Goldendale Observatory State Park - for the City of Goldendale and Washington State Parks it's no-thanks - "not a good fit" - and as Carpenter declared, something they will go out of their way to avoid.

The integrity and credibility of IDA’s Dark Sky Places program has thankfully not been undermined and discredited by either the City of Goldendale, or the Goldendale Observatory State Park.

Goldendale light pollution brightens the southern sky as seen from 4 miles (6.5 km) away. Bob Yoesle

Yakima Herald-Republic/Mason Trinca

"Light pollution from Goldendale, Wash. floods the sky on a cloudy night at the Goldendale Observatory State Park on Tuesday, Dec 9, 2014. The observatory, run by the Washington State Parks, is a dark sky destination for people from around the region, and is the only public observatory in the Northwest.”
The Yakima Herald-Republic Newspaper.

Finale:

The failures to protect the night sky of the Goldendale Observatory as originally promised didn't "just happen." They're the result of deliberate decisions not to protect and conserve the night sky.

Goldendale, Klickitat County, and the Chamber of Commerce are Welfare Queens

The raison d'etre of the Goldendale Observatory was getting away from light pollution.

The business and political interests who originally desired an observatory for Goldendale pledged to protect it from light pollution in order to be given its massive and valuable telescope. They then could solicit a federal grant to build an observatory for it. Over the past four decades they've gotten many millions of Washington taxpayer dollars to maintain, run, and upgrade it, and generous other public funds and grants promoting tourism related to the presence of the Observatory - greatly benefitting from it: According to the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce, local businesses realize over five million dollars a year from the tourism generated by the Goldendale Observatory.

But the promises to protect the Observatory's telescope from light pollution means nothing to the City of Goldendale and the Chamber of Commerce - or to Klickitat County or Washington State Parks. They won't lift a finger or spend a dime to educate or inform the public about light pollution or the local lighting codes which were promised in order to obtain the Observatory's telescope and conserve and protect its night sky.

The business and political interests benefitting from the Observatory are opposed to applying and enforcing the lighting codes needed to protect it. A spinally infirm Washington State Parks doesn't want to rock the boat by holding Goldendale and Klickitat County accountable to their promises and long-standing codified Observatory protections.

The deterioration of the night sky of the Goldendale Observatory State Park, which they all pretend to value and give lip service to, will continue to become worse year after year without end - just as it has everywhere else that doesn't proactively protect the night sky.

They really would be just as happy to have an “amusement park” rather than an observatory to help “fill up hotel rooms and restaurant parking spaces.” Unfortunately, they couldn’t get massive donated roller coasters or Ferris wheels, federal government grants, or decades of Washington State taxpayer operating funds and millions of Washington State taxpayer capital improvement dollars to foot the bill for that.

Killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Let there be light. No need for conserving the natural night sky or reducing light pollution here.

Conscientious public observatories, like the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, the Oregon Observatory at the Sunriver Nature Center in central Oregon, and Observatory Park in Montville Township, Ohio, realize the importance of their night sky for both public enjoyment and astronomy education and telescope observation. Increasing levels of light pollution are not compatible with their missions of astronomy education or the sustainability of their "valuable and vulnerable" night sky natural resources. They are shining examples of dedication to provide night sky conservation education and advocacy to protect their facilities, reinforcing these values by choosing to support designated and protected Dark Sky Places.

The Goldendale Observatory State Park is by deliberate intent and action no longer a designated International Dark Sky Plark - which it has "gone out of its way to avoid." Without the need to discuss light pollution or its impact at the Goldendale Observatory, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, as well as the City of Goldendale and Klickitat County, couldn't be happier.

They didn't forget - they just don't care.

The night sky is a valuable and vulnerable public natural heritage, scenic, ecological, educational, and cultural resource, and merits conservation and protection for every one of us, our children, and generations to follow.

A valuable natural nightscape: the southern summer night sky and Milky Way. Photo: Mike McKeag

Washington State Parks has no true appreciation for observational astronomy. Nor does the City of Goldendale or Klickitat County. This has resulted in the Goldendale Observatory becoming a soft-science "amusement park" whose main purpose is generating Discover Pass sales and tourism revenue for the benefit of Washington State Park's local political/business interest "partners."

Washington State Parks desire to placate these local anti-regulation interests has led to its opposition to sincere night sky conservation education and advocacy, and the ongoing failure of long existing local night sky protection regulations specifically adopted for the Goldendale Observatory historic telescope's benefit. This is antithetical to genuine observational astronomy purposes, and incompatible with any International Dark Sky Place status.

With light pollution skyrocketing everywhere, Washington State Parks has chosen to be part of the problem, not part of the solution. Moving in the opposite direction of other state park systems and the National Park Service, most of which do not operate an observatory, Washington State Parks no longer considers a dark night sky an important part of the State's environment, ecology, and economy, or the natural landscape and the State's environmental heritage.

Because of this, Washington State Parks is no longer a "good fit" for a publicly owned observatory which depends on public awareness, education, and advocacy for the protection and stewardship of its valuable and vulnerable night sky natural resource.

Goldendale, Klickitat County, and Washington State Parks have broken faith not only with the builders of the Goldendale Observatory's primary telescope and Observatory founders - they've betrayed the citizens and taxpayers of Washington.

"When my grandkids come to visit from Portland, they say 'Grandma, you have so many more stars than us.' But people don't realize that if we don't do something, our grandchildren may not be able to lay in the grass and gaze at the stars. That's happening all over the place, and so people are coming here to have that opportunity."

Earlene Sullivan, Goldendale, WA

Additional information about the effects of light pollution on humans and the environment, and how it can be easily managed effectively, can be found at Dark Sky Defenders.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the Friends of Goldendale Observatory, and may not represent those of the IDA, FDSC, or their affiliates and members.

​GOLDENDALE OBSERVATORYA Night Sky Conservation Disgrace

​​A De Facto Subsidiary​of the Chamber of Commerce

GOLDENDALE OBSERVATORY
A Night Sky Conservation Disgrace

A De Facto Subsidiary
of the Chamber of Commerce