Building a Dark Sky Cooperative across the Colorado Plateau

As part of the National Park Service Call to Action, the agency is leading an effort to establish landscape scale conservation of dark skies free from light pollution. The Colorado Plateau is sparsely populated, has minimal impact from outdoor lighting, and a high percentage of public land ownership, resulting in an ideal place for launching this novel conservation effort. This voluntary effort will link citizens, communities, tribes, businesses, and state and federal agencies in a collaborative effort to protect natural darkness for people and wildlife. Impetus is driven by the popularity of public stargazing programs, the local tourism economy, and a sense of community pride in this natural and cultural heritage.