The International Dark Sky Park In Texas That’s Absolutely Gleaming With Stars
When we think about West Texas, the first thing that comes to mind is the Milky Way. If you’ve been to Big Bend at night, you have a breathtaking image in your mind right now – billions of stars shining down on you; a brilliant band of nebular clouds and dust splitting them in half. It’s absolutely crucial that we preserve the ability to see the unadulterated night sky in remote places like these, which is exactly what the International Dark Sky Association does. Luckily for us, Big Bend Ranch State Park is the newest addition to its list of protected parks. Here’s what that means:
Big Bend Ranch State Park might be absolutely breathtaking during the day, with its towering mountains and views that seem to extend to the ends of the earth...
...but, if possible, it's even more captivating at night. It's the fourth park in Texas to receive International Dark Sky Park designation, joining nearby Big Bend National Park, which received its accreditation in 2012.
What does this mean? Essentially, it means that efforts to preserve the darkness of the night sky will be amplified. Together, Big Bend Ranch State Park and Big Bend National Park are larger than the state of Rhode Island, and conserving their remoteness is paramount.
As part of its Dark Sky certification process, the park assessed all of its current outdoor lighting and created a plan for future installations to make sure they won't be too overbearing. A program to educate visitors about retaining dark skies was also developed.
You can get involved, too! Big Bend Ranch State Park launched a Dark Sky Steward program, which allows the public to help monitor the park's night sky over time. Volunteers observe and photograph the sky from various spots throughout the park to track the success of the Dark Sky initiative and bring light (no pun intended) to any necessary changes.
I don't know about y'all, but we think this is a pretty exciting step in the right direction. With our ever-expanding cities and buildings with lights, the importance of making an effort to conserve the visibility of the night sky has never been more important.
The park will be hosting an event in the near future to celebrate this amazing achievement, and you don't want to miss it. More information is available on the TPWD page, the link to which will be included below.
Here is more information about the Dark Skies Program.
Have you ever been to Big Bend Ranch State Park at night? Is it as beautiful as pictures make it look? Where else in Texas can you see lots of stars at night?
