A dozen Colorado state parks are embarking on a process that state officials hope will lead to their certification as official dark-sky locations by DarkSky International.
Only one of Colorado’s 42 state parks, Jackson Lake State Park near Fort Morgan, has thus far been designated as an International Dark Sky place. Colorado has 10 other International Dark Sky Parks, including three of the state’s four national parks — Great Sand Dunes, Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Mesa Verde — along with three national monuments.
Now officials in state government, working with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, hope to achieve official dark-sky status for 12 state parks — including Golden Gate Canyon and Staunton near Denver — as well as Sweetwater Lake near Dotsero on the Western Slope. Sweetwater Lake is under consideration for addition to the state park system.
DarkSky Colorado, an independent non-profit that is a chapter of DarkSky International, will be working with park officials to walk them through the process of applying for international dark-sky status and helping them meet the necessary standards.
“We are protecting communities and wildlife from the harms of light pollution, trying to restore the night to its natural darkness,” said Aaron Watson, a certification specialist for DarkSky Colorado. According to Watson, requirements for certification include:
- Holding four educational outreach events per year to promote dark-sky awareness through events such as star-gazing nights, nocturnal wildlife walks, and even moonlight paddleboarding;
- Developing plans for measuring dark-sky quality using instruments that quantify how dark a location is;
- Assessing all artificial lighting in the park, determining what percentage is compliant and coming up with a plan to bring it into compliance; and
- Developing park regulations to manage artificial light at night within the park.
“I was at a park last week and I was taking pictures of their lighting, going through the specifications and talking about good lighting versus bad lighting,” Watson said. “That’s the technical expertise we’re providing. Our job as mentors is to work with the parks to make sure the lighting is documented.”
Meeting certification standards may mean replacing outdated lighting with newer systems that are dark-sky compliant, Watson said. Other measures can include installing motion sensors so lights don’t remain on all night long and adding shielding around lights.
The process isn’t only for parks far from urban light pollution. In addition to International DarkSky Park status, parks like Golden Gate Canyon can qualify as Urban Night Sky Places within parameters set by DarkSky International. Golden Gate Canyon State Park straddles the county line between Jefferson and Gilpin. Staunton is in Jefferson and Park counties.
“It’s for places that have a significant amount of light pollution, but still offer an authentic experience of the night sky,” Watson said. “In a place like Golden Gate Canyon, you’re going to get a lot more visitation. By having it in the (dark sky) program, people can learn about what responsible lighting is. They can have night-sky programs where maybe a ranger is leading them to look at star constellations without having to go very far, so we can reach a lot of people even though the night sky isn’t as dark as it is in more rural areas.”
Golden Gate Canyon park manager Todd Farrow is already making plans to hold dark sky programs this summer.
“We’re trying to maintain kind of a natural primitive area, yet close to Denver and accessible for everyone,” Farrow said. “It gets super dark up there. On a moonless night, you can go out in some areas of the park and you can’t see your hand in front of your face.”
The process of bringing parks into compliance and getting them certified by DarkSky International could take from one to three years.
“Reducing unnecessary light pollution saves energy, enhances stargazing tourism, and protects Colorado’s breathtaking night skies for everyone,” Gov. Jared Polis said last week in announcing the initiative. “This new collaboration with DarkSky Colorado will help keep our star-filled skies clear for future generations of Coloradans and tourists to enjoy comets, constellations and meteors.”