I remember driving down Wolf Creek Pass for the first time, back when the switchbacks still ran like CW McCall’s infamous song. Yet I also remember the view from Highway 160 of the San Juan River valley coming off the pass on a star-lit night with the Milky Way in full glory.
A dark sky landscape doesn’t happen by accident. Most people think of the dark night sky as an astronomy issue. For small towns and rural regions, its really about community character, heritage, safety, and tourism. All of these are already planning problems.
What “Dark Sky” Lighting Means
Light pollution hides the Milky Way from 80 percent of Americans. Rural places are not immune—rural lighting has spread from isolated farm lights through highway commercial strips, industrial plans, storage yards, and bright LED retrofits. The terms “glare”, “light trespass” and “sky glow” are becoming part of small town vocabulary across the country.
DarkSky International, formerly known as the International Dark-Sky Association, is there to help residents and community members who want to do better. DarkSky’s Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting provide a matrix built on one idea: light where you need it, when you need it, in the amount needed, and no more.
- Useful: Use light only if it serves a clear purpose.
- Targeted: Aim light down and shielded so it doesn’t spill upward or sideways.
- Low Level: Make light no brighter than necessary.
- Controlled: Use timers, dimmers and motion sensors so light is on only when needed.
- Warm-colored: Use amber or warm-white sources, which reduce light pollution.
Remember this key distinction: A “dark-sky friendly” label is not the same as certification. DarkSky Approved fixtures must meet all five principles.
Dark Sky Places
A few years ago, I lived up in the Four Corners region of Colorado, where dark skies are not only a local preference but an essential tourism and economic development strategy. Chimney Rock National Monument, which covers over 4,700 acres of the San Juan National Forest between Pagosa Springs and Durango, became an International Dark Sky Park in December 2025. This designation by Dark Sky International helps protect land and night skies in 22 countries on 6 continents.
More than 1,000 years ago, Ancestral Pueblo people built ceremonial structures at Chimney Rock. Many scholars believe the site was designed to observe the moon rising between its two rock pillars. The effort for Dark Sky designation has been a partnership between the local San Juan Stargazers, Pagosa Photography Club, Chimney Rock Interpretative Association, and the Weminuche Audobon Society.
The night sky is cultural heritage in the same way historic buildings are. It also supports tourism: the monument is 17 miles from town and offers night-sky programs through the season.
How a County and A Town Can Keep It Dark
When I went to work for Archuleta County, Colorado, a decade ago, the zoning regulations already included Dark Sky standards for new outdoor lighting, including replacement fixtures which must be full cutoff and fully shielded. The Town of Pagosa Springs has its own Exterior Lighting Standards as well, similar if different.
A local committee there is now working on an application to become an International Dark Sky Community this year. This works as a layered system. Federal land managers, County regulations, Town standards, and volunteer advocates all reinforce each others.
No, not everybody agreed on how to interpret the standards. It helped when contractors could find Dark Sky compliant fixtures off the rack, but even then a dispute could land us in court. Don’t adopt regulations your elected officials are not willing to enforce.
Photo credit: Justin Haag via DarkSky International
Dark Skies: Not Just for the Mountains Anymore
Many people travel to the mountains specifically for the clear, dark night skies. Yet in part through the work of organizations such as Dark Sky International, places across the US and the world are working to protect their nocturnal environment. Right here in Nebraska, Merritt Reservoir in the Sandhills near Valentine already holds the state’s first Dark Sky Park designation.
Simple first steps can help. Open up your municipal code—specify warm, shielded streetlights during LED conversions. Add a short outdoor lighting section to the zoning and building codes. Name the night sky as a resource in your comp plan to support the other two.
Even if you just advocate to protect dark skies in your own community, that is a valid first step. Do that first and gather your crowd. The night sky is one of the few community assets that costs almost nothing to keep and is very hard to get back once it is lost.
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