I have definitely noticed the decrease in fireflies and it is such a shame. I also had a conversation with someone recently about how long it has been since I've seen the Milky Way.

Light pollution is one leg of the whole problem, but an important one nonetheless. Thanks for bringing it to our attention and thanks for the links.

As an aside, I just now happen to be watching a show about mass extinctions. The earth has had 5 mass extinctions in 440 millions years, all from natural causes, with the last one wiping out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. This show says that the next mass extinction will be due to humans treating the earth like it is a garbage dump.

Interesting article. I like my yard to be dark at night, and rarely use the porch light. I did install some solar party lights on the patio though - I will need to rethink that.