History

The “International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) is a 501(c)(3) (tax ID #: 74-2493011) founded in 1988, and is dedicated to protecting the night skies for present and future generations.“[1] With a mission to “preserve and protect the nighttime environment and our heritage of dark skies through environmentally responsible outdoor lighting [1]”, the IDA provides resources and guides for advocates to use to inform themselves and others.

By providing these resources, the IDA aims to raise awareness about the value of dark, star-filled night skies and encourage their protection and restoration through education about the problems and solutions, including outdoor lighting practices that create less light pollution. 

The International Dark Sky Association has numerous local chapters in the US and around the world. These chapters help members network and share ideas. One does not need to join nor be active in a chapter to become a member. The IDA has chapters all over the US and around the world with Pacific Northwest chapters in Portland, Bend, and Eugene, Oregon. The IDA was the first organization in the dark-sky movement, and is currently the largest.

To promote awareness about the issues, the IDA has an International Dark Sky Places program that aims “to protect locations of exceptional nighttime visages for future generations.” ^[2] To do this, the IDA has designated certain places as International Dark Sky Parks, International Dark Sky Reserves, or International Dark Sky Communities.

In the Pacific Northwest, there are no active dark sky parks, as Goldendale Observatory State Park in Washington had been designated a dark sky park in 2010, but had this designation revoked in 2017. There is an International Dark Sky Reserve located in Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve, Idaho, which was designated in 2017. At this time, there are no Communities in the Pacific Northwest.

References And Further Reading

[1] https://www.darksky.org/about/

[2] https://www.darksky.org/our-work/conservation/idsp/

Introduction To Light Pollution

International Dark Sky Association