Milky What?

Milky What?

Worldwide, destinations still graced with brilliantly starry skies are discovering they have an increasingly rare tourism asset, one that can draw stargazers, boost ecotourism, and even enhance spiritual travel. A great way to advertise and protect that asset is to obtain an international Dark Sky certification. Ian Vorster explains the process.

Dark Sky International Shines the Light on Destination Stewardship Principles

If you have ever seen a night satellite photo of the eastern seaboard of the United States, you will understand the term ‘light pollution.’ Globally it saw a 50% increase from 1992 to 2017. The concept is simple: Poorly designed lights shine upward instead of downward. They contaminate the sky with unnecessary light. Thanks to this there are people alive today who have never seen the Milky Way. Let that sink in for a moment.

Besides having the potential to alter sleeping patterns of humans, light pollution interferes with bird migration, sea turtle reproduction and mammal feeding habits. More than 450 bird species migrate at night, and according to a National Geographic article, 50,000 birds died over a period of two days at Warner Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, in 1954, when they flew directly into lights on the ground..

This is where Dark Sky International steps in.

Dark Sky Sanctuary is a certification given by Dark Sky International to public or private land that has an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and a nocturnal environment that is protected for its scientific, natural, or educational value, its cultural heritage, and public enjoyment.

To qualify as a Dark Sky Sanctuary, the area must meet strict criteria for sky quality, and commit to protecting the night sky through responsible lighting practices and provide public outreach. Perhaps most importantly, the cities in each designated area sign what amounts to a legal agreement to maintain the standard. These sanctuaries provide opportunities for stargazing, astrophotography, and other nighttime activities that benefit from minimal light pollution. Dark sky tourism meets destination stewardship.

Dark sky tourism checks all the geotourism boxes. The geotourism approach is a form of travel that aims to sustain or enhance the geographical character of a place — its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and the well-being of local communities. Dark Sky tourism can help disperse visitors geographically, seasonally, and over the course of a 24-hour period as different galaxies or stars become more evident.

Loss of Night

Humanity has been losing access to the night sky for a long time. As early as 1887, Harvard astronomer Arthur Searle noted that artificial lighting in Boston prevented adequate observations of the zodiacal light — that faint glow just before sunrise or after sunset caused by sunlight reflecting off space dust. By 2023 it was so bad that astronomers invented invented a new term to describe the pain associated with this loss: “noctalgia,” meaning “night grief.”

Dark Sky International is stewarding numerous regions and cities around the globe to heal that grief.

Loss of Light

In 2024, the Oregon Outback – in the south-central part of the state – earned the prestigious Dark Sky International certification, becoming the largest officially designated dark sky place on the planet. (There are other areas that are larger but uncertified.)

The Outback is located within the largest, contiguous, pristine dark sky area of the lower 48 states, and this certification helps to protect a large portion of it. Within the Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary are the unincorporated communities of Adel, Plush, and Summer Lake, the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, a portion of the Fremont-Winema National Forest, nearly 1.7 million acres of land managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Summer Lake Wildlife Area, nearly 80,000 acres of state-owned rangeland, and the Oregon Outback Scenic Byway.

The intent behind the pursuit of a large-scale sanctuary is to protect the unique, pristine, dark sky zone, to keep any additional dark sky recreation dispersed, to allow incorporated gateway communities to economically benefit from the project, and to more effectively and efficiently manage a certification within a remote area. In other words, not only to limit light, but to steward its use.

“As the population of Oregon and the trend of light pollution continue to rise, the unparalleled scale and quality of the Outback’s dark skies will long serve as a starry refuge to people and wildlife alike,” said Dark Sky Delegate Dawn Nilson, the environmental consultant who managed and authored the application. “Adherence to the Lighting Management Plan will allow this large expanse of land to serve as a demonstration site of sustainable lighting principles not only within southeastern Oregon, but possibly the Pacific Northwest Region.”

“This four-year collaboration brings together so many of the elements we try to achieve in regenerative tourism,” said Bob Hackett, Executive Director of Travel Southern Oregon. “It not only elevates the destination experience for visitors to Lake County and opens up opportunities for local businesses, but it also helps agencies and residents steward their lands in ways that celebrate a legacy of starry night skies for generations to come.” That’s true for every other Dark Sky certified locale.

Examples of Responsible Astrotourism

The Dark Sky International monthly magazine, Nightscape in December 2024, noted the following principles.

• Use light responsibly: Ensure outdoor lighting if purposeful, targeted, low-level, controlled and warm colored. Turn it off when not needed. Case study: Fulda, Germany was designated as a Dark Sky Community in 2019 when the city enacted a progressive outdoor lighting policy that respects both central European lighting traditions in light consumption and reasonable controls on outdoor lighting. Fulda also formed partnerships to educate the public about the value of dark skies and how city dweller’s choices impact the nearby Rhön International Dark Sky Reserve.
• Protect the natural environment: Ensure that tourism activities and operations do not disrupt wildlife or the natural environment. With 69% of mammals being nocturnal, many species rely on natural darkness for survival. Case study: Kaikōura, New Zealand is a newly designated Dark Sky Sanctuary that protects the world’s last two wild breeding colonies of the Hutton’s shearwater. The bird is highly endangered and drawn to city lights at night, where they crash land and often die.
• Support the well-being of residents: Consider the needs and activities of residents, aiming to enhance their experience of the nighttime environment while minimizing any negative impacts on the community. Case study: Mayo, Ireland Dark Sky Park sees significant community involvement in environmental preservation. Its annual dark sky festival is attended and staffed by residents and showcases local musicians and artists. A lighting retrofit at the Newport church has made the building safer and more beautiful, while saving two metric tons of CO2e per year.
• Honor local and Indigenous cultures: Respectfully and collaboratively integrate local and Indigenous people, their traditions, and their knowledge, where possible, with free, prior, and informed consent, recognizing their cultural significance and ensuring sensitivity in its application. Case Study: Cielo Guaraní, Misiones, Argentina is an astro-tour that connects visitors with the cosmology and culture of Guaraní communities through nighttime excursions into the jungle of Misiones. Indigenous sky knowledge is shared by a Guaraní guide in partnership with a western science by an astronomer.
• Adhere to local regulations: Comply with all relevant local regulations in the areas where you operate, ensuring responsible and legal practices. Support and promote regulations protecting natural darkness, ensuring future generations enjoy the night sky. Case Study: Adjacent to the popular Zion Dark Sky Park, the town of Springdale, Utah, enacted regulations to preserve the night sky and improve safety, quality of life, and national parkland. Its municipal code requires businesses and residents to limit outdoor lighting and ensure that it is downward-facing and shielded.
• Foster sustainable economic growth: Contribute to the local economy by generating meaningful direct and indirect economic benefits for local people and communities. Case Study: Northumberland Dark Sky Park, England has seen steady economic success from dark sky tourism. In 2015-16, 63% of its visitors came specifically for dark skies, and in 2017, Northumberland saw £25 million in economic benefits — 13% of investments were due to dark skies, and there was a 15% increase in business performance, with dark sky tourism supporting 450 local jobs.

Pending Applications

South Africa and Scotland are among the other nations with active Dark Sky International Certification applications filed.

South Africa is a recognized leader in the Dark Sky community — and it’s not thanks to Stage 6 loadshedding, the nationwide power cuts caused by corruption and the decrepit failing generators. The country has a large collection of private game reserves that are collaborating to earn their certification. Several of the reserves now incorporate dark sky safaris and dark sky education programs into their offerings.

Scotland has seven Dark Sky Parks, with one of them, the Isle of Rum, now applying for Dark Sky International status. The Isle of Rum, in the Inner Hebrides off Scotland’s West Coast, is part of a National Nature Reserve managed by NatureScot.

The island offers spectacular birdlife and geology in a natural landscape, typifying the kind of appeal that draws scientists and researchers from all over the world — a fast-growing trend as the world’s sprawling cities continue to grow to accommodate their population, as they continue to outstrip the night.

And that sounds pretty rum to us.

About the Author

Ian Vorster is the Managing Editor of the Destination Stewardship Report.