Who is impacted?

Every Sterling Ranch resident—homeowners, renters, children, and future families—faces the daily reality of light-polluted nights. Streetlights that bleed light in multiple directions, glare into bedrooms, destroy night vision and wash out the night sky. Most garage fixtures spill upward, adding to the glow. According to NOAA, 80 % of Americans have never seen the Milky Way Galaxy. Sterling Ranch scores between a 6 and 7 on the Bortle Scale (a measure of how much of the night sky we can see: the lower the better), meaning even basic constellations are dim. This artificial light disrupts sleep cycles, confuses migrating birds and insects, and severs our connection to the cosmos.

What is at stake?

Without change, Sterling Ranch will remain just another suburban glow, betraying the Dark Sky Community pledge that drew many of us here. Property values tied to “smart, sustainable living” erode when the night sky—our shared heritage—stays hidden. Nocturnal wildlife will continue declining, human health will suffer from fractured circadian rhythms, and the upcoming Zebulon Sports Complex risks becoming another light dome unless bound by verifiable Dark Sky standards. If we act, we can shift toward a low Bortle 6 or even a very high Bortle 5: stars return, ecosystems recover, and the wonder we felt under the aurora from November 11th, 2025 becomes routine.

Why is now the time to act?

The aurora from November 11th, 2025 united neighbors on lawns and driveways, phones raised to a sky briefly alive. This shared awe connected residents. Too many celestial events—like meteor showers, comets, and the Milky Way Galaxy—stay hidden... However, momentum is here—residents are talking, photos are circulating, and the CAB cannot ignore a unified voice. Simple, proven fixes exist: factory shields, published kelvin/lumen data, change the streetlight bulbs to be warmer and lower brightness, reimbursement for ≤2700 K garage light swaps, and a resident-led working group. One signature at a time, we can hold Sterling Ranch accountable and deliver the dark skies we were promised and paid for—starting tonight.

We, the undersigned Sterling Ranch residents, call for these immediate steps:

• Install shields on all streetlights to ensure that light is directed only to where it needs to be and qualifies for the lowest Dark Sky BUG (Backlit, Uplit, and Glare) ratings.
• Publish fixture specs and unit of measure for dimming levels for streetlights.
• Install warmer color bulbs that are no brighter than 2700 K, preferably even lower, for streetlights.
• Offer a significant reimbursement to encourage residents to upgrade their garage lights to be dark sky compliant.
• Require home builders for all future homes and apartment complexes built to only offer and install Dark Sky approved garage lights.
• Guarantee the upcoming Zebulon project meets full International Dark Sky guidelines by becoming an officially approved Dark Sky International sports complex
• Launch a resident-led Dark Sky group to work with the metro districts and the CAB to help restore the Dark Sky promise as well as organize stargazing community events.