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In 2010, the Goldendale Observatory State Park in Washington State became the sixth certified International Dark Sky Park in the world, and the second state park in the United States to be so designated by the International Dark-Sky Association.
It now has the unique distinction of being... 
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In a stunning reversal from Washington State Parks previous support for attaining the prestigious International Dark Sky Park designation for the Goldendale Observatory 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 designation as an International Dark Sky Park.
People across the globe are living under the increasing nighttime glow of artificial light, and it is causing significant problems for humans, wildlife, and the environment. Over 95% of North Americans live under 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.
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The light pollution levels previously predicted for 2025 arrived in the 2010s. Light Pollution Map 2015 Atlas.
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Using an improved measurement methodology, a groundbreaking new study has established dramatic increases in light pollution - much of which is attributed to use of cheaper and brighter light emitting diode (LED) outdoor lighting.
American Association for the Advancement of Science
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In the headlines January 20, 2023
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No responsible observatory - let alone an alleged science education facility - would take such a perverse position as to oppose providing public enlightenment about the importance of conservation and protection of its night sky environment...
Except the Goldendale Observatory State Park.
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Washington State Parks doesn't want to see light pollution, hear about light pollution, or speak about light pollution.
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In a "partnership" with local business interests which view the Goldendale Observatory as just another "asset to leverage," and who place no value on the importance of a dark night sky and oppose enforcing the existing regulations to protect it; the Director of the Observatory asserted light pollution from Goldendale and Klickitat County is a "low priority," and education about the subject of light pollution "makes us very unpopular."
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.
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"Truth will ultimately prevail where there are pains to bring it to light." George Washington |
Friends of Goldendale Observatory exposes the startling 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 betrayal of their promises to protect the Goldendale Observatory State Park's night sky.
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 the small town of Goldendale. Despite the presence of Goldendale and Klickitat County lighting codes belatedly put in place in 1979 for that purpose, the night sky of the Goldendale Observatory has been deliberately 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 asset, 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.
- 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 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.
Friends of Goldendale Observatory honors the amateur astronomers and the community college who built the Observatory’s telescope, and as a condition of being given the telescope required that it would be protected from the night sky damaging effects of light pollution.
If the purpose of an Observatory is simply to be a public 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.
If the purpose of an Observatory is simply to be a public 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.
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However, general public science education and entertainment was not the only reason for the telescope's construction and use. Built by amateur astronomers for Clark College, besides providing the public with appreciation of the night sky, Clark College and the observatory's Goldendale founders stated it was to be used by astronomers (amateur and professional) for deep sky imaging and spectroscopic studies of faint stars and nebulae, and observational astronomy education for primary and secondary schools, as well as colleges. It needed a dark night sky to do these activities, and why it ultimately wasn't located on the Clark College campus in Vancouver, Washington.
Concerns quickly surfaced that the Observatory's proposed location might be too close to Goldendale due to light pollution from the town’s lights. 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 explicitly promised they would protect the night sky from light pollution. Even after a recent 6 million taxpayer-dollar renovation, the Observatory remains unopen 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 appears to be uncomfortable with such participation. Moreover, and despite his false claims to the contrary, astronomical research was one of the telescopes purposes, which was publicly stated and encouraged at the Observatory's 1973 dedication, and as shown below is specifically referred to in the lighting codes that were subsequently adopted for protection of the telescope's night sky. |
Sky & Telescope April 1977
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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 finally got around to adopting elementary outdoor lighting codes to protect the night sky of the Observatory. However, decades of Goldendale and Klickitat County failing to educate the public about the importance of conserving a dark night sky demonstrates that protecting the telescope's views of the cosmos is not a priority. Prohibited lighting is found today on City, County, and other publicly owned properties.
A damaged nightscape. The brighter, whiter, and unshielded lights of nearby Goldendale and strewn across Klickitat County seen from the Goldendale Observatory, July 2021. 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 "key to getting people to stay at the hotels." Recently installed and grossly excessive unshielded bright-white LED motel lighting facing directly at Observatory Hill violates decades-old outdoor lighting codes intended 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. Since then, many communities and state and national parks – including Goldendale Observatory State Park – embraced a sincere advocacy for night sky natural resource conservation through an International Dark Sky Place designation.
However, a change in Washington State Parks leadership led to a "partnership" with the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce, who's Director Dana Peck was opposed to enforcement to the existing lighting codes intended to protect the Observatory's night sky. This "partnership" led to an unprecedented absence of support for night sky conservation by Washington State Parks. Not only did Washington State Parks fail to put up any required signage about the Observatory being an International Dark Sky Park, the former Washington State Parks Area Manager Lem Pratt and the current Observatory 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."
However, a change in Washington State Parks leadership led to a "partnership" with the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce, who's Director Dana Peck was opposed to enforcement to the existing lighting codes intended to protect the Observatory's night sky. This "partnership" led to an unprecedented absence of support for night sky conservation by Washington State Parks. Not only did Washington State Parks fail to put up any required signage about the Observatory being an International Dark Sky Park, the former Washington State Parks Area Manager Lem Pratt and the current Observatory 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 amateur astronomers. They are a consequence of the lack of genuine engagement 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 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:
Moreover, the night sky natural resource, especially important for an astronomical observatory which was located where it is because of its 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.
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
2021-2031 Strategic Plan - Achieving a healthy, sustainable park system.
Instead of providing education that promotes the general ecological and societal importance of night sky conservation, or the especially important preservation of the Goldendale Observatory's night sky natural resource, 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 echo's 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 "fill up hotel rooms and restaurant parking spaces." This preference for local economic exploitation over protection of the night sky natural resource is counter to what most people would consider important – especially for people who visit the Observatory from more heavily light-polluted urban and suburban areas and desire a dark night sky experience.
Gallup, Inc. April 2022
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.
Eight years later, the new 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. 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.” Additionally, 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:
Eight years later, the new 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. 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.” Additionally, 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 [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.”
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The Washington State Parks bureaucracy is unfamiliar with all things astronomical, and apparently has a management culture which seems 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 they are inexperienced with. This resulted in difficulty determining whether a dark night sky for the Goldendale Observatory State Park is:
1. 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."
1. 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 better location such as the nearby and much better 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 Light Pollution
Instead, Carpenter reassured his primary constituency - City officials and the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce - that despite the loss of the International Dark-Sky Association's Dark Sky Park Status, 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. 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.
Washington taxpayer's multi-million-dollar renovation of the Goldendale Observatory's main building.
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 ultimately 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 several years of night sky conservation education and advocacy 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.
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.
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 preclude providing education about, or advocating for, the sustainability of the Goldendale Observatory'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 has 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 quietly 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 public's desires for a dark sky astronomy experience at an observatory facility which has proudly claimed to be "famous for its dark skies."
Proving that the tail does indeed wag the dog, Washington State Parks apparently came to believe it's more important to quietly 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 public's desires for 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" and false "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.
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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:
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And never will.
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On the other hand, the adjacent States of Oregon and Idaho have chosen to embrace conservation of their irreplaceable night sky natural heritage:
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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 and the effects on the Observatory, or the existence of the lighting codes intended to prevent it. 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
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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
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Inaction Speaks Louder than Words
For decades the City of Goldendale and Klickitat County have broken the promises 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.
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.
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These unpublicized and unenforced lighting codes and unfulfilled promises to protect the Observatory's night sky were and remain a classic "bait and switch."
While the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce openly proclaims 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 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 these 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
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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 2014 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."
This included Observatory Director Troy Carpenter, who in 2014 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:
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Light pollution 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.
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Formation of light pillars. Wikipedia
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The most 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.
Light pollution in the night sky at the Goldendale Observatory State Park has gone from being accurately described by Carpenter 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."
Lem Pratt - the Washington State Parks Area manager who came to Goldendale in December 2012, 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 - applied for in 2008 and awarded in 2010. 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 given the title of "Observatory Director" and received a large pay raise.
During the 2014 radio show interview above, when Carpenter was asked about Washington State Parks connection to the "dark sky movement" (Goldendale Observatory was a certified International Dark Sky Park and would remain so for 2 years), Carpenter's nonsensical but telling response was "there was some confusion about that. The reality is they're not." 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 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 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."
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."
Lem Pratt - the Washington State Parks Area manager who came to Goldendale in December 2012, 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 - applied for in 2008 and awarded in 2010. 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 given the title of "Observatory Director" and received a large pay raise.
During the 2014 radio show interview above, when Carpenter was asked about Washington State Parks connection to the "dark sky movement" (Goldendale Observatory was a certified International Dark Sky Park and would remain so for 2 years), Carpenter's nonsensical but telling response was "there was some confusion about that. The reality is they're not." 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 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 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:
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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.
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?
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A Phony 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. At the same time, Goldendale hasn't done a thing to raise funds to retrofit the extensive unshielded outdoor lighting it has allowed to violate the 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.
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.
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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 the Goldendale Mayor Mike Canon direct assistance to pursue an International Dark Sky Community status to replace the Goldendale Observatory State Park's forfeited International Dark Sky Park designation.
It is bizarrely twisted – yet completely predictable – that the City of Goldendale would wait two years and instead initiate a contract with then Goldendale Chamber of Commerce’s anti-regulation Director Peck to submit a Provisional Dark Sky Community Application to the IDA. Of course this application was Peck’s customarily highly embellished, outright false, and completely inadequate piece of… work.
Using his customary hyperbole, 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.
It's not surprising that the "new" Washington State Parks area manager Jill Sprance (who replaced Pratt and has some biolgical science acumen, similarly appears to have no astronomy related background, education, or expertise) and Carpenter would engage with and endorse this make-believe Chamber of Commerce effort.
IDA Dark Sky Program personnel 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 procedures or requirements.
The Dark Sky Community designation effort was therefore doomed from the start:
The Dark Sky Community application immediately went nowhere:
"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 certification process at this time." IDA Dark Sky Places Program Manager Adam Dalton, May 2020; emphasis added.
Almost a year later, when publicly asked about the status of achieving an International Dark Sky Community designation, the Mayor 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 close. The application was a complete fraud; the Mayor was apparently never informed of the application's rejection, and the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce took the City's money and ran.
It is bizarrely twisted – yet completely predictable – that the City of Goldendale would wait two years and instead initiate a contract with then Goldendale Chamber of Commerce’s anti-regulation Director Peck to submit a Provisional Dark Sky Community Application to the IDA. Of course this application was Peck’s customarily highly embellished, outright false, and completely inadequate piece of… work.
Using his customary hyperbole, 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.
It's not surprising that the "new" Washington State Parks area manager Jill Sprance (who replaced Pratt and has some biolgical science acumen, similarly appears to have no astronomy related background, education, or expertise) and Carpenter would engage with and endorse this make-believe Chamber of Commerce effort.
IDA Dark Sky Program personnel 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 procedures 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.
- The application would have to meet Dark Sky Community minimum requirements which include documented and well-established and ongoing public support and educational outreach programs for night sky conservation - which were and remain non-existent.
- The application would have 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 a given area, and limiting the brightness of illuminated outdoor signs – all standard and customary lighting ordinance features which were deliberately removed from the draft Goldendale lighting code revision in 2017 at the behest of local business and political operatives.
- 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, no statement 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.
The Dark Sky Community application immediately went nowhere:
"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 certification process at this time." IDA Dark Sky Places Program Manager Adam Dalton, May 2020; emphasis added.
Almost a year later, when publicly asked about the status of achieving an International Dark Sky Community designation, the Mayor 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 close. The application was a complete fraud; the Mayor was apparently never informed of the application's rejection, and the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce took the City's money and ran.
Darksky.org
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.
In spite of over 45 years of deliberate neglect of the night sky, Goldendale and the Chamber of Commerce apparently viewed a Dark Sky Community designation as something easy to accomplish by intentionally attempting to bamboozle the IDA - just as Carpenter had done with his previously falsified Dark Sky Park annual reports to the IDA. And as with Carpenter, they only wanted the notoriety from the International Dark Sky Community designation in order to generate tourism dollars and Discover Pass sales - nothing more.
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 and 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."
Light Pollution from Goldendale brightens the southern sky as seen from 4 miles (6.5 km) away. Bob Yoesle
Yakima Herald-Republic/Mason Trinca
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Finale:
The failures to protect the night sky of the Goldendale Observatory 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 telescope. They then could solicit federal funds 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.
But they won't lift a finger or spend a dime to educate or inform the public about light pollution or their lighting codes promised to protect the Observatory - and some if not most of the business and political interests benefitting from the Observatory apparently are opposed to applying 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 just pretend to value, will therefore continue to be ignored and become worse year after year without end.
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 construction grants, or decades of Washington State taxpayer operating funds and millions of Washington State taxpayer capital improvement dollars to foot the bill for that.
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 telescope. They then could solicit federal funds 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.
But they won't lift a finger or spend a dime to educate or inform the public about light pollution or their lighting codes promised to protect the Observatory - and some if not most of the business and political interests benefitting from the Observatory apparently are opposed to applying 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 just pretend to value, will therefore continue to be ignored and become worse year after year without end.
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 construction grants, or decades of Washington State taxpayer operating funds and millions of Washington State taxpayer capital improvement dollars to foot the bill for that.
Let there be light. No need for conserving the natural night sky or reducing light pollution here.
It's the proverbial killing the goose that lays the golden egg.
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 at Cottonwood Canyon State Park, Oregon. 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 mostly a science entertainment facility whose main purpose is generating Discover Pass sales and tourism for the benefit of Washington State Park's local political/business interest "partners."
Washington State Parks desire to placate these political and business interests has led to its opposition to sincere night sky conservation education and advocacy, and the ongoing failure of regulatory protections, which is antithetical to genuine observational astronomy purposes, and incompatible with an International Dark Sky Park or Community status.
With light pollution skyrocketing, 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 ecology and economy, or its natural landscape and 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 telescope and founders - they've also betrayed the citizens and taxpayers of Washington.
Washington State Parks desire to placate these political and business interests has led to its opposition to sincere night sky conservation education and advocacy, and the ongoing failure of regulatory protections, which is antithetical to genuine observational astronomy purposes, and incompatible with an International Dark Sky Park or Community status.
With light pollution skyrocketing, 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 ecology and economy, or its natural landscape and 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 telescope and founders - they've also betrayed the citizens and taxpayers of Washington.
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"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 |
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