vertical-endeavour.com

Hey all. I am appealing to anyone who has taken pictures of the light pollution from the top of the Berg, or within what is supposed to be a wilderness area in the Berg, to please send me any and all pictures. As most of you know, I deal with development applications, not only in the Berg region, but across the province.

As development pressure mounts, Ezemvelo, as the management authority for the UDP, are trying to put together a statement (almost a status quo document) in order to not stop development, but to try and reduce the impacts that appropriate development has on the user group who go to the mountains to not be impressed by the amazing lights that a town or development can use to light up the night sky. In essence, we do not want to replicate what has happened in Phutadijaba with the amount of light polluting the night sky there.

If you have any pictures of Bergville, Winterton, Himeville, Underberg, Cathkin etc, please pm me so I can give you my email address and you can send them to me. I will undertake to give all credit due to the photographers, but this natural heritage belongs to all, and we don't want a developer removing this privilege from us or our future generations because they were not forced to look at alternatives to reduce their night light impact within the buffer area to the Berg.

Look forward to your responses.

I urgently need a response from this community before Monday, and specifically in the Underberg-Himeville area. Even if you have not taken pictures, maybe you have experienced the light glow, please respond in this thread and let me know.

Let's safeguard the experience we want to have in the Berg.

Hi There

Not quite Underberg area, no photos, and relates to municipal development, but in event here's my story as it left quite an impression on me.

Was at Mahai Camp, Royal Natal in July this year after a respite of 4 or 5 years. Decided to walk up to Look Out Rock really early and made it well before sunrise as I had done on my previous visit. I was shocked at that point to see how the lights of the surrounding settlements had encroached on the park boundary. I am convinced that one could make out the line of the park fence simply by following the obvious cut-off between bright vs. darkness. I found it to be a sadly sobering experience as to the rate at which settlements have encroached on the area, causing one to lose that true sense of isolation which should be characteristic to all wilderness areas.

Regards