I can confirm the night sky is inky black there. (Tonight is my 13th night in the tent.)

… good news from the National Park Service regarding their efforts to conserve the natural dark sky.

Natural Bridges National Monument, in the southeast corner of Utah, has been named the world’s first ever International Dark-Sky Park, as designated by the International Dark-Sky Association.

This is a big deal. It is a designation which recognizes not only that the park has about the darkest and clearest skies in all of the United States, but also that the park has made a every effort to conserve the natural dark as a resource worthy of the fullest protection.

The park, with the help of the little-known NPS Night Sky team working out of nearby Bryce Canyon National Park, identified every single exterior light within Natural Bridges. Based on an evaluation, each and every light was either eliminated or replaced with fully-shielded lights, some even equipped with motion sensors to reduce their light pollution even further. The Natural Bridges night sky conservation efforts include campfire interpretive programs and publications for visitor education about this seldom considered resource.

Natural Bridges is World’s First Dark-Sky Park

Here’s their solar panel array, the world’s largest … in 1980. They’ve been at this dark sky business for some time.

See photos of the second and third largest natural “bridges” (water carved arches) in the world: Natural Bridges – Wikipedia