This is Olivia Bobbitt, President of the West End Dark Sky Alliance - the organization that supports Naturita and Nucla’s International DarkSky Joint Community certification and helps protect the night skies that define our region.
Colorado is home to several International DarkSky Places, including Paonia right here in the KVNF’s listening area. Naturita, Nucla, and Norwood are part of that growing statewide commitment to preserving natural darkness – and along the Unaweep Tabeguache Scenic & Historic Byway, that commitment becomes visible the moment the sun goes down. If you’ve ever traveled the UTB, you know it’s more than a road. It’s a 133mile ribbon of canyoncountry, redrock walls, winding rivers, and quiet mesas. Highway 141 and 145 carry you through landscapes shaped by deep time - and when night falls, that landscape expands upward. The sky becomes part of the scenery.
DarkSky certifications aren’t just titles. They’re commitments. They mean the lighting in these towns - and throughout the surrounding West End - is intentionally designed to protect natural darkness. Visitors can expect a sky that is reliably dark, whether they’re exploring Thunder Trails, pausing at a canyon overlook, or simply stepping outside after dinner. Out here, the night sky reveals itself slowly – and often it’s visitors who notice it first, because they’re seeing a level of darkness they’ve never experienced before. What feels normal to us is actually exceptional. But for many people, especially those living in cities, the night sky has become something distant. Most have not seen true darkness. They’ve never watched their eyes adjust until thousands of stars appear or witness shooting stars.
We’ve lost the art of looking up.
Humans evolved under natural darkness. Our bodies respond to it - our circadian rhythms, our sense of calm, our connection to place. Yet modern life has trained us to retreat indoors at night, where artificial light keeps our eyes busy and our minds distracted, pulling us away from the darkness that once guided us.
Here in the West End, darkness is still a teacher.
If you’re traveling the Western Slope, please remember - always pull over and park before stargazing. The roads curve through canyons and mountains, and while the stars are breathtaking, they’re best admired from a safe, still place. Tonight, if you’re in the region or passing through, step outside. Give your eyes a few minutes, and let the sky come to you.
Music written and produced by Kenny Mihelich (pronounced ma-HELL-itch). Western Slope Skies is produced by the Colorado Mesa University Astronomy Club, the Western Slope Dark Sky Coalition, and KVNF Community Radio. This feature was written and voiced by Olivia Bobbitt.