Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1998 17:51:02 -0500
From: Mike Stebbins 
Subject: NHCRL newsletter #2 Nov 1998



NHCRL newsletter #2 Nov 1998

Greetings NHCRL members!

As of 11/2/98 membership stands at 61.

NHCRL has a working Web page: www.mv.com/users/lopez/nhcrl. The new page reflects the mission and methods of NHCRL. It allows the user to join the NHCRL and provides links to the New England Light Pollution Advisory Group (NELPAG), the Web page of the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) Web page, and our local Astronomy Club, the New Hampshire Astronomical Society (NHAS). All of these links are valuable resources for anyone interested in further information on outdoor lighting and dark skies.

In October, Dave Brooks, a writer for the Nashua Telegraph, wrote his weekly column on the NHCRL. The Associated Press picked up the story and after various re-writes, it was reprinted in at least 4 newspapers in the region. The Union Leader, The Concord Monitor, The Portsmouth Herald and The Boston Globe all had a version of the article.

The Boston Globe has since interviewed NHCRL for a feature article in the Sunday NH section for November 8. For an in depth view of NHCRL, get a copy of this Sundays Globe.

Next, the NHCRL had a live radio interview on WTSN-AM of Rochester, NH. Then WGIR-AM of Manchester recorded an interview, which will be aired at a later date. We were also invited onto a local cable television show to raise the awareness level of the average citizen on light pollution issues.

In October, the NHCRL presented a talk and distributed materials to the town leadership of Hillsborough, NH. This was done at the request of the New Hampshire Astronomical Society, which has an observing site in the town. Our talk, which was given by Mike Pelletier, was well received.

The NHCRL has distributed Light pollution informational materials to the Manchester planning board, and is slated to present a talk to the board sometime in November.

The NHCRL has been invited to discuss Light Pollution issues on a Media One Public Access TV Show, 'Thinking out Loud', which reaches 185,000 households statewide. The taping is scheduled for November 12.

Two Manchester citizens have requested that the NHCRL assist them in their local neighborhood lighting issues. We will add more on this as it develops. PSNH has published an insert in the November electric bills called "Smartliving". In this they sell low wattage internal and external lighting for individual consumers. The low wattage lighting is very good, the fixtures are also "long lasting". Unfortunately, they are designed to allow light to escape in all directions, which is not good. The NHCRL called the 800 number to find out why PSNH is advocating the sale of non-full cutoff lighting. The marketer forwarded our name to Northeast Utilities.

We hope to be able to come to some arrangement with NU and PSNH convice them to become more responsible about their contributions to the light pollution problem. If you would like to register a complaint about the external lighting sold by Northeast utilities, call 1-800-527-4448 and inform the marketing company that you are not happy about the sale of non-full cutoff lighting. They will ask your name and log the call. Hopfully this action will help us to make a case that customers of PSNH do care about outdoor lighting!

The NHCRL is working with state representatives to introduce a bill to implement a modified version of the Tucson, AZ outdoor lighting ordinances. The response from legislatures has been good and it is expected that we will go into the 1999 legislature with a chance to address our lighting issues in New Hampshire at the state level. Text of the draft bill will be forwarded to members when it has been finalized.

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New Hampshire Citizens for Responsible Lighting