Editor:

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Golden Gate Park, the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department is proposing to put a 140 foot, lighted Ferris wheel in the Music Concourse, keep it lit until 10 p.m. every night, and put 19 new spotlights on top of the Bandshell.

This is not a good idea; it can only be detrimental to the park. If we truly want to celebrate the 150th birthday of Golden Gate Park, we should honor nature and the Park by leaving it as dark as safety allows for one year, instead of adding lights. Limiting light pollution would show respect for the park and actually benefit all the flora and fauna that make up Golden Gate Park.

In San Francisco, where the ambient lighting at night is already bright, let the night sky above Golden Gate Park be restored, as closely as possible, to how it was 150 years ago. That would be a fitting tribute to the City’s crown jewel. Golden Gate Park is not a county fair ground or an amusement park.  If your readers agree, I recommend that they contact their supervisor to register opposition to this ill-conceived plan.

David Romano
San Francisco