Western Outdoor Times - Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!

VINCENT VAN GOGH - captured the idea of an illuminated evening in his painting "The Starry Night". And, just recently, because "starry nights" are particularly clear in the Grand Canyon National Park The National Park

Service (NPS) and the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) have announced that GCNP is now a provisional IDA International Dark Sky Park.

IDA established the International Dark Sky Places conservation program in 2001 to encourage communities around the world to preserve and protect dark sites through responsible lighting policies and public education. Many of the best-protected night skies in the country are found within national park boundaries. Grand Canyon joins eleven other national park sites certified by IDA. Including Grand Canyon, eight of the national park sites with IDA Dark Sky Park status are located on the Colorado Plateau. The NPS especially focuses on sustainable outdoor lighting because it combines technology, design, and practice in a way that allows parks to increase energy efficiency and enhance visitor experiences.