SAGUACHE COUNTY, Colo. — The Town of Crestone was named this month as an International Dark Sky Place, becoming the fourth community in Colorado to receive the designation.
The International Dark Sky Places (IDSP) program was founded 20 years ago to recognize communities, parks and other places that minimize artificial light at night and allow people to see the stars.
Colorado now has several Dark Sky Communities and Dark Sky Parks:
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
- Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
- Dinosaur National Monument
- Jackson Lake State Park
- Mesa Verde National Park
- Slumgullion Center
- Town of Crestone
- Town of Norwood
- Town of Ridgway
- Towns of Westcliffe and Silver Cliff
“We are delighted to welcome Crestone, Colorado, into the family of IDA International Dark Sky Places,” said Ruskin Hartley, IDA executive director, in a press release. “Its situation and circumstances are key to long-term protection of dark skies in the San Luis Valley, Sangre de Cristo wilderness, and beyond, so we are excited by the possibilities that today represents.”
Crestone was established in 1880 as a mining town and has about 2,200 residents. The town has regulated its outdoor lighting since 2004 and recently updated its ordinance to meet IDSP requirements.
“I believed this was a journey that ended with designation," said Mayor Kairina Danforth, who led the town's effort to be accredited as a IDSP, in the release. "I now realize that this designation isn’t so much the end of a process as the beginning of a relationship with IDA and the broader dark-skies movement around the world."
There are 31 International Dark Sky Communities worldwide, according to the program.
