BIODIVERSITY
VISITING IN THE DARK
DURANGO, COLORADO, UNITED STATES

Photo: Visit Durango
Light pollution is the easiest type of pollution to stop. Durango, Colorado, is teaching travelers how to better respect the night skies and the animals who depend on darkness. Learn how to bring back the Milky Way where you live.
What's
changing
A dark night sky plays a huge role in the health of our ecosystems. While the rest of the world is asleep, bats and moths become pollinators for plants, and 80% of birds migrate to summer or winter homes. Our artificial lights disorient these creatures. Almost 30% of exterior lighting is waste, needlessly expending energy and contributing to climate change. Across the planet, dark sky preserves are maintaining conditions required for humans, nocturnal animals and insects to thrive. Less light pollution makes stargazing and aurora sightings possible in more locations and has benefits for circadian rhythms.
What's already
possible
In Durango, Colorado, the night sky is not only important for wildlife, but is culturally significant for Native American tribes. The city has reduced light pollution since its first dark sky ordinance in 2003. The ordinance does not call for removing all lights; it calls for using lights more intentionally. Locals across southern Colorado have formed a widespread movement advocating for larger dark sky zones.
Seizing
the opportunity
In Durango, lighting zones align with zoning districts and dictate how bright lights can be in each district. The city requires shields for artificial lights on commercial and multi-family buildings to eliminate light trespass. Lights must also be switched off when businesses are closed overnight. City programs teach homeowners about the importance of dimming lights, and utility companies retrofit fixtures to ensure street lighting is dark sky compliant. Events like “Dark Sky Celebration” and exhibits at the Powerhouse, a local science center, help visitors and locals learn about Durango’s mission to protect dark skies. The city is working with Dark Sky International to earn Dark Sky Community Certification, which requires developing a city lighting policy, updating publicly owned lighting to be dark sky compliant and providing access to night sky viewing opportunities.
Standout
tactic
Visit Durango rents dark sky kits to visitors at its welcome center and at the Pine River Library. The kit makes admiring the night sky easy and includes binoculars, a clamp to attach a smartphone to binoculars to take photos, a star finder, a red light, children’s activities, and a light quality meter. The kits encourage visitors to stay overnight.
How
it helps
Visit Durango holds educational events and is working to get dark sky certification for two of the three municipalities in its jurisdiction. Durango should be dark sky certified within the next two years and neighboring Bayfield is a year from certification. Baseline data to track energy savings and environmental changes will be collected after certification and strict lighting policies are in place.
Diving
deeper
How can dark sky initiatives in limited areas make a bigger dent in global light pollution as growth in urban areas generates more light?
Increasing
impact
Durango’s program could influence areas outside its jurisdiction. For example, establishing a dark sky scenic byway connecting its region to neighboring counties and towns would create a contiguous area of greater awareness and less light.
Traveling
better
Travel is inherently carbon intensive. Whether you are taking a mini-break or an annual vacation, consider ways to minimize your impact by staying longer in one place, reconsidering how you travel to the destination, and supporting businesses that are working to make their community and the world a better place.