SEVIER, Utah (ABC4) – Two more parks in Utah have been awarded International Dark Sky Park designations by the International Dark Sky Association.
The Utah Division of Parks and Recreation says Fremont Indian and Goosenecks State Parks are the latest to receive Dark Sky designations, bringing the total to 10 within the Utah Division of State Parks system.
That is more designations than any other state park system in the world.
Officials say Goosenecks State Park offers a 1,000-foot vertical view of 300 million years of Earth’s geological history and a 360-degree vista of the heavens.
Fremont Indian State Park, located deep within Clear Creek Canyon, is surrounded by mountains that serve as extremely effective light pollution buffers for the area.
According to the IDA website: “Less than 100 years ago, everyone could look up and see a spectacular starry night sky. Now, millions of children across the globe will never experience the Milky Way where they live. The increased and widespread use of artificial light at night is not only impairing our view of the universe. It is adversely affecting our environment, our safety, our energy consumption, and our health.”
In January, three Utah state parks – Jordanelle, Kodachrome Basin, and Rockport – received Dark Sky status. In Utah, even entire towns, Torrey and Helper, have the IDA designation.
