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Western Slope Skies - The Big Wow!

Milky Way over Pecos National Historical Park
Fred Ruegsegger
Milky Way over Pecos National Historical Park

What was the last national park you visited? What do you remember from that trip? When we travel to a park we often go with a set of great expectations, we’ve seen photos on social media or diligently researched the park website in advance. We often know WHY we are visiting a park – to see the geysers in Yellowstone, the big trees of Sequoia, the depths of Grand Canyon. Or closer to home, the steep and deep Black Canyon, rolling sand at Great Sand Dunes, Elk bugling at Rocky Mountain. Since parks were first established, people have traveled to them for the big famous sites and attractions that inspire us. The big wow!

As our country has grown, the main purpose and mission of national parks remains the same – to leave resources unimpaired for the benefit and enjoyment of the people. What did that mean to people in 1916? 1960? Today? What resources were we concerned about impairing in 1916?

In early parks it was commonplace to feed bears from your car. Today we better understand wildlife protection and certainly don’t feed the bears (I hope!). Of all the amazing park resources to consider, early park travelers wouldn’t have thought of the night sky as one of these big wonders to preserve and protect. The United States remained mostly a rural country until very recently and most people had a dark night sky in their backyard to enjoy. Today dark skies are dwindling world-wide thanks to a dramatic increase in light pollution effects. Much like wildlife that once roamed this country extensively but were later pushed to protected areas like national parks for survival, our darkest skies now mostly remain above public lands. Unlike wildlife protections, dark sky protections were almost all accidental – the sky was protected because the land was protected.

We are beyond grateful for this happy accident and hopefully now realize the essential importance of these places as dark refuges. People now travel to parks specifically to see the night sky because over two-thirds of the country cannot see the Milky Way in their hometowns. Night skies are now the big wow for millions of visitors still seeking that enjoyment and inspiration, that connection with the past.

Dark skies make parks whole – providing humans the chance to fully experience ecosystems with all their pieces in place. In 1916, no one would have thought darkness would be a threatened resource. What are we accidentally protecting today that people a hundred years from now will thank us for? That thought alone makes having national parks worthwhile. Next time you plan a national park visit, be sure to stay after dark, experience that big wow, and then take that excitement home with you to advocate the skies in your hometown.

You’ve been listening to Western Slope Skies Music written and produced by Kenny Mihelich (ma-HELL-itch). and is produced by the Black Canyon Astronomical Society and KVNF Community Radio. This feature was written and voiced by Nick Myers.

Photo credit: Fred Ruegsegger, Milky Way over Pecos National Historical Park

Links:

Night Skies (U.S. National Park Service)

New Mexico Blazing a Dark Sky Trail | DarkSky International