SPRINGDALE, Washington County Utah s most-visited park has a new designation.
The International Dark-Sky Association on Thursday announced that Zion National Park is its newest International Dark Sky Park. With the announcement, all five national parks in Utah now have received the status, which is given to the best parks in the world to view the night sky.
But receiving the dark sky status doesn t just mean that a park has a great view of the night sky, but work is actively being done to ensure that night sky views are preserved. Over the past 20 years, the International Dark-Sky Association awards dark sky park status to places around the globe that aim to preserve dark sky viewing and reduce light pollution. It argues that combatting light pollution has positive effects on wildlife and ecosystems.