Oregon’s “Outback” named world’s largest Dark Sky Sanctuary

A massive expanse of Oregon high desert has been named the world’s largest dark sky zone for its clear nighttime views of the stars, planets, and Milky Way.

Dark Sky International announced that it has certified an area of some 2.5 million acres (1 million hectares) in southern Oregon as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary. The area is commonly referred to as the Oregon Outback as much of it resembles the arid landscape of Australia’s interior.

The certified area includes all of the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, a portion of a national forest, and a 1.7 million-acre stretch of land managed by the United States Bureau of Land Management.

“The certified area is about one-half the size of New Jersey,” Dark Sky International said in its announcement. “This novel nomination involved numerous federal, state, and local officials negotiating project boundaries and developing and endorsing a joint Lighting Management Plan.”

The Lighting Management Plan or LMP that Oregon officials have signed on to is a set of guidelines for ensuring that artificial lighting added or maintained in the region emits minimal to no light pollution. The area of certified Dark Sky Sanctuary is only “phase one” of a broader plan to expand night sky protections across southern Oregon, DSI says.

DSI, Travel Southern Oregon, and Fibonacci Enterprises spearheaded the effort to earn the Oregon Outback a dark sky certification. The effort involved replacing or retrofitting lighting throughout the region to ensure artificial lights complied with DSI certification rules.

Now that certification has been awarded, the team is planning public outreach and educational efforts to promote the region as a dark sky destination and to expand dark sky protections.

Bob Hackett, Executive Director of Travel Southern Oregon, said in a release that the designation “not only elevates the destination experience for visitors to Lake County and opens up opportunities for local businesses, but it also helps agencies and residents steward their lands in ways that celebrate a legacy of starry night skies for generations to come.”

DSI has declared April 2-8 as International Dark Sky Week. The declaration of the Oregon Outback as a dark sky designation marks the third such announcement made by DSI this month as it gears up for the celebratory week. The organization has recently certified other dark sky parks in Denmark and Switzerland.

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