Light Pollution Washes Out Night Sky Over Joshua Tree

It seems to be getting harder and harder to enjoy the night sky over national parks. Back in March I posted a piece about declining star shows due to an increase in urban lighting. Well, you can add Joshua Tree National Park to the growing number of parks afflicted by this "light-washing" of the night sky.
A story in The Desert Sun out of Palm Springs, California, describes the problems being created by the nightly glow emanating from the Coachella Valley. It's not a pretty picture.
Chad Moore, a member of the National Park Service's night sky team, told the newspaper that, "National parks are national parks because they contain things that are unique on the national level. One of the components, the night sky, will be eroded away."