For the last year I have been observing, using my SQM and SQM L to take measurements of the night sky where I observe, and making account of local conditions. My favorite sites in the past have been to my southwest for several reasons. First is the locations off Forest Road 006 where in the past very dark. I would get 21.8 readings there, slightly down to the 21.6 to 21.7 range when the summer Milky Way was up. Over the last 15 years my sights on Forest Road 006 have gone done further. I typically this summer was getting 21.33 to 21.44 readings when the Milky Way was up in it's glory. Last fall, winter and this fall my readings are in the upper 21.4 to very low 21.5 range IF I am lucky. The light dome from Salt Lake City to Provo has gone from about 8 degrees in the sky to well over 20 degrees in the sky, or the equilvant of two fists on top of each other.
In addition as we have more and more population move into the area, this forest land has been discoverd and the disperse camping sites are now taken up in the spring, summer and fall with ATVers. As such I can go to my Forest Road 006 sites but only during the week. About 10 years ago the US Forest Service removed the Junipers out on this land LINK to improve native habitat for the Sage Grouse, Mule Deer and ranchers whose cattle use the area. It was done to stop the spread of cheet grass and allow natural plants to be reinstated. This did change the natural beauty of the area and at each of my observing areas, made the small lights from the city of Vernon in the distance more noticable IF one was looking to the north northwest.
My other go to site was one called Pit n Pole. Pit n Pole was an easy 35 minutes drive from home to then 21.5 SQM site. Driving out there was easy (as it was to Vernon or Forest Road 006). However from 2015 on with the increase use of the land out there, and because Pit n Pole has a bern or hill, and it is barely outside the No Shoot Zone for Five Mile Pass (an ATV and dirt bike area) shooters have taken it over. It is now filled with old TV's that are shot up and plenty of waste and shells. It is no longer useable as an observing site.
In addition, this will explain why the land use has so drastically increased out in these areas since 2015. Saratoga Springs Utah, a city about 25 miles west of Pit n Pole and about 53 miles northeast of Forest Road 006 has grown over 100% since 2015. In 2015 it was estimated that Saratoga Springs had less than 25000 people living there. Today, there are over 62000 people living in Saratoga Springs. This growth has resulted in the increase of many businesses and though the city has a ligtening ordinance, the increase of population and according housing and business has greatly increase the light pollution there as LED lights take over.
The next city Eagle Mountain, which is the next city west of Saratoga Springs and on the route to get out to the Pony Express observing areas and to the forest land south of Vernon (FR006 and others) is 41 miles northeast of the Forest Land south of Vernon and only 15 miles from Pit n Pole. This city has also seen over 100% growth from 2015 to 2025, growing from under 25000 in 2015 to over 71,000 today (housing has been traditionally cheaper there until recently). Again, the city of Eagle Mountain has a lighting ordinance, but this population growth and increase of business and several factories in the area has greatly increased light pollution.
The result was in about 2020/21 during and right after Covid, I had to begin looking for new observing sites. Over the last year this has continued as I seek to have to either drive a little farther for the skies I had back in 2015, or increase my aperture to have the same observing I had then. I did buy night vision equipment and that can help of course, but I love visual observing.
The result was I began looking for new observing sites and I have done that. This video LINK over at Eadsy Astronomy will explain the how and the why behind that. I probably will have to do this again over the next 8-10 years as by 2050 the population of Utah is expected to increase by over 2.5 million (mostly along the Wasatch Front) which is like adding the population of Idaho to Utah's current size. It also means that NOW is the time to get out and enjoy the dark skies of northern Utah. Soon, they will fade into a memory and one will have to go south and southeast and southwest of the Wasatch Front to find dark skies. That will be a very sad day in my opinion.
