Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Dark Skies topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Gerlach CAB backs International Dark Sky Week, asks Washoe County to consider local dark‑sky ordinance
Summary
The Gerlach Citizens Advisory Board voted to endorse a proclamation recognizing International Dark Sky Week and signaled support for developing a local dark‑sky ordinance and pursuing Nevada Starry Skies certification for Gerlach.
The Gerlach Citizens Advisory Board voted to express support for a proclamation recognizing International Dark Sky Week and for the further development of a dark‑sky ordinance for the Gerlach area.
The board’s motion followed a presentation by local resident and dark‑sky advocate Dave Cooper, who described the Nevada Starry Skies certification program and asked the CAB to ask the Washoe County Commission to place a proclamation on the county agenda. Cooper said light pollution “disrupts wildlife. It impacts human health. It wastes money. Some $3,000,000,000 a year is wasted” in the United States, and urged the community to pursue ordinance language and a lighting‑management plan to qualify for state certification.
Cooper told the CAB that the state launched the Nevada Starry Skies certification program in October 2024 and that eligible applicants include unincorporated communities, schools, tribal nations, HOAs, businesses and conservation areas. He said the work to certify Gerlach would likely include developing an ordinance, creating an inventory of outdoor lights, preparing a lighting‑management plan and implementing retrofits such as shielding or timers. “We’ll write it for Gerlach,” Cooper said when asked whether the county would draft ordinance language for the community.
Why it matters: Gerlach is adjacent to very dark public lands used for astro‑tourism. Support from the CAB is a preliminary local endorsement the presenter said would help request a county proclamation and later technical work toward state certification that could make the town eligible for related grant programs.
Board discussion and public input focused on practicalities: Vice Chair Christy Evans asked whether an ordinance would be adopted by the Washoe County Commission and whether residents would face direct costs. Cooper answered that adoption would require county action and said his intent was to seek funding to avoid imposing costs on individual residents; he said participation by private property owners would be voluntary unless the ordinance language required otherwise. Representatives of community groups and residents voiced support: a part‑time resident, R.G. Reynolds, told the board he supported the idea, and a caller identified as Pete Drunkers said Burning Man supports the request.
Action: Russell Byerly moved the CAB express support for the Starry Skies Week proclamation and for development of a starry‑skies ordinance for Gerlach; Christy Evans seconded. The board’s recorded ayes in the meeting transcript were Chair Tina Walters and Russell Byerly; the motion was approved on a voice vote.
Next steps: Cooper said he will return with more information, seek volunteers for a local committee, and work with partners he named — Friends of Nevada Wilderness, the Nevada Department of Outdoor Recreation, Dark Sky International and Nevada Energy — to develop the inventory and plan needed for certification. He told the CAB he expects additional community outreach and a draft ordinance or plan to follow, but provided no timeline for certification.
The CAB did not adopt ordinance language at the meeting; the vote was limited to expressing support for the proclamation and further development of an ordinance and certification effort.
