Night laws: no walk in the park

I don't know if I should be praising the Big Bang, God, aliens or any of the other entities suspected of having created the Universe. But I am never more thankful for the harmonious masterpiece that is the solar system than when the sun has finally dipped below the horizon—when I am lying on the ground, gazing at a billion sparks of light on the black backdrop of a night sky.

Sadly, I rarely make it to places where my view of the stars is unobscured by the haze of suburbia. But it's not laziness keeping me from a clear view of the skies. It's Montgomery County law.

Should nature lovers find themselves in one of our county's 155 parks after dark, an officer will ask them to move along. The officer can then threaten these so-called offenders with disciplinary action ranging from a verbal warning to a $30 fine.

According to Sergeant Bill Collins, supervisor with the Maryland National Capital Park Police, who serve Montgomery and Prince George's counties, this ban on nighttime nature appreciation is in place to prevent people from using parks illegally. Collins says the curfew prevents noisiness, which sometimes prompts complaints from residents.

In addition, Collins says, the daylight-only policy prevents activities that can happen under the cover of darkness, such as underage drug and alcohol consumption and sexual activity.

I'm no proponent of such activities, but barring county residents from enjoying nature after a certain hour is ridiculous. The great outdoors embodies my vision of the American ideal of freedom; nothing makes my patriotic pride swell like a view of the splendor that is the American wilderness, even if it is as nearby as Sligo Creek Park. And it breaks a little piece of my heart to know that I am not always allowed to be there.

Junior Lauren Conte got a taste of the county's limited access policy when, after being caught in a park at night, she was kicked out and warned by the police. Conte was sitting in a car talking with friends, an activity she views as "totally harmless."

The regulations that got Conte ousted from the spot where she went to "get away from everything" do more than just prevent sex, drugs and drinking. They prohibit all kinds of harmless fun that teenagers need in order to foster a healthy appreciation for the environment.

If youths are relegated to enjoying nature only through watching The Discovery Channel, they are unlikely to recognize the ties between their lives and the natural world. If teens can't see this vital connection, causes that need support from every county resident, like improving recycling and cutting down on litter, can have only limited success.

Surely a county as efficient as ours can find some way to discourage unhealthy activities without shooting its own environmental concerns in the foot. Perhaps the park police could increase supervision in open areas and allow innocent citizens to enjoy themselves. Nature in the company of cops wouldn't be ideal, but it would be a lot better than no nature at all.

Please—I don't want to drink. I don't want to snort cocaine. I just want to see the stars.