PORT ANGELES — Olympic National Park’s “Dark Ranger” warned those at a Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce luncheon Wednesday of increasing light pollution.
John Goar, a volunteer who has offered free telescope viewing at Hurricane Ridge over the last eight summers, told those who attended the chamber’s luncheon that more than 7,000 people have looked through his homemade Dobsonian telescopes.
For the last six years he has offered full moon hikes at Hurricane Ridge as well.
Goar has been using a meter that measures the amount of light in the sky to measure light pollution at Hurricane Ridge for years, and he doesn’t like the trend he is seeing.
“I’m losing some of my darkness,” he said. “I look to the north [toward Port Angeles] and I’m seeing an ever glowing glow of light.”
He urged those who attended to consider outdoor lighting fixtures that have been approved by the International Dark-Sky Association.
He said he plans to reach out to city leaders and raise awareness about light pollution.
“As a Dark Ranger I’m a defender of the night sky,” he said. “I do what I can to encourage people to be more responsible with night lighting.”
During his programs, Goar said he always asks those who attend if they’ve ever seen the Milky Way.
“I’m astonished when about half of the hands come up every night,” he said. “By the time the program is over, all those people are able to see it.”
Because of the volunteer work Goar puts in, he was awarded the 2016 National Hartzog Award for Outstanding Individual Volunteer Service from the National Park Service.
He was one of Olympic National Park’s 3,887 volunteers who contributed a combined 71,432 hours of service to the park, he said, adding that many things at the park would be impossible without volunteers.
Across the country there about 196,000 volunteers, he said.
“I am very honored and humbled to be selected,” he said.
He offers his telescope program when there are no moon or clouds in the sky.
It’s easy to know when there’s no moon, but he said he loses up to a quarter of his nights due to weather.
The next telescope program nights start tonight through July 20, according to his website.
The next full moon hikes are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Aug. 6 and 7 and start at the Hurricane Hill trailhead.
For more information about the telescope program and full moon hikes, visit olympictelescope.com.
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsula dailynews.com.
