We live in an era when natural darkness is increasingly rare, lost to the glow of artificial lighting in cities and other developed areas. This “light pollution” and concomitant loss of darkness has planet-wide ramifications: The ever-growing influence of our lighted spaces changes how animals sleep and reproduce, disrupts their nightly migration patterns, alters their feeding behaviors, and much else—to say nothing of how this lack of natural darkness affects humans’ physical, social, and psychological well-being.
It seems that the more we recognize the value and significance of dark skies, the scarcer they become. That’s what has prompted a growing number of people to celebrate and protect the dark-sky areas that are left. In the continental U.S., the largest of those areas begins in southeast Oregon.
The wide-open, sparsely populated counties of Lake, Harney and Malheur sit at the northwestern edge of the Great Basin Desert. This region is sometimes referred to as the “Oregon Outback” for its rugged beauty, rustic charm, and endless opportunities to explore. It also has exceptionally dark skies.
Under the right viewing conditions, the Outback sleeps beneath a blanket of stars so thick and profuse as to beggar belief. The reasons behind this exceptional starshine are twofold. First, the predominately dry air of this high-elevation desert tends to exhibit less atmospheric distortion at night, allowing for better visibility (particularly in colder months). Second—and more importantly—there is a distinct lack of light pollution here.
This dark sky legacy has long been celebrated and cherished in southeast Oregon. A growing number of people are looking to protect this legacy by nominating the Oregon Outback as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary.
“It’s about more than just stargazing,” said Dawn Nilson, an International Dark Sky Association Delegate and Dark Sky Preservation Director for Rose City Astronomers. “Light pollution has been identified across the board as having a myriad of harmful effects on all living organisms and systems. Protecting dark skies is also about addressing what’s happening to moths, bees, frogs, and birds worldwide. Over a billion birds die each year in North America alone, and a lot of that is related to light pollution. We’re trying to protect the largest contiguous area of pristine dark sky in the continental U.S.”
Still in its planning phase, the proposed Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary would encompass about 11 million acres, more than three times the size of the current largest International Dark Sky place in the world, Death Valley National Park. It would span three Oregon counties and multiple land-management agencies: U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It would also involve the cooperation of state agencies, private ranchlands, and rural, unincorporated communities.
“There’s never been an effort of this scale, involving this many jurisdictions,” said Bob Hackett, Executive Director of Travel Southern Oregon. “This will be a certification by a non-profit organization that recognizes exceptional, natural dark skies; encourages the conscious use of artificial light; and raises awareness about the importance of dark skies to humans and the environment. In many ways, this is preserving a cultural legacy, as well. From both an Indigenous and contemporary perspective, people here have lived with this incredible asset for millennia—of course it should be preserved.”
“This Dark Sky program doesn’t have regulatory teeth,” said Nilson. “It’s comparable to the designation of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which recognize historical and anthropological importance. These are designations of prestige, and they can create a level of protection, a sense of awareness.” For more information, visit the Oregon Outback Dark Sky Network website
