What are these photos?
These photos were taken by Shane Burns, Professor of Physics at Colorado College. The photo on the left was taken at the Colorado College Observatory in Colorado Springs, and the photo on the right was taken at the Zapata Falls Campground in Alamosa County. These two photos are of the same part of the night sky, taken two nights apart. Below is a light pollution map made by Drew Manning. On the map, you can compare the light pollution of Colorado Springs (the highest levels of light pollution) and Alamosa county, which is the area within the purple reserve boundary (the lowest levels of light pollution).
It is clear that light pollution is impacting the view of the night sky, but what else does it impact, and why does this all even matter? Great questions! Explore this website to answer them and learn more about dark sky preservation.