 Newsletter Signup
Stay informed with the
NEW Casino City Times newsletter! |
Gaming News
California Indian Casino and Astronomers Try to Find Common Ground5 December 2000SAN DIEGO, California –Dec. 5, 2000 – As reported by the North County Times: "A majority of the American Indian tribes building casinos near two of the country's most prestigious observatories ---- Palomar to the north and Mount Laguna to the east ---- say they will voluntarily comply with San Diego County's dark-skies ordinance. "The willingness of most of the tribes to abide by the regulations governing light pollution is important because the reservations are sovereign nations that are not bound by county laws. "…Astronomers depend on dark skies to observe faint, distant celestial objects such as galaxies and quasars that can be masked by light pollution, and they share the county's concern. "…Representatives for several tribes acknowledged a need to minimize light from the operations and said they have studied the problem as part of their own environmental assessments. "…The San Pasqual gaming facility will not only use shielded, low-pressure sodium lamps for parking and security lighting, but also prohibit neon or flashing lights in signs or decorations. "…At the Pauma band's natural resource department, Juana Majel was somewhat more upset about doing the bidding of the observatory and the county, who, she said, don't want to talk directly to the American Indian groups…" |