WHO WE ARE
The Western Slope DarkSky Coalition (Coalition/WSDSC), is a 501c3 non-profit organization, registered with the State of Colorado formed in April 2021. It is an umbrella that supports regional dark sky places, applications for dark sky places, and citizen initiatives to reduce light pollution. The region of interest is San Miguel County and the counties sharing its border ( Montrose, Dolores, Ouray). Members of the Coalition have successfully applied for IDA designation for two of the 5 Dark Sky Communities in Colorado. One of them is a Joint Community designation of the two towns of Nucla and Naturita and the other is Norwood, the second Community in the State and the first on the Western Slope.
HOW WE DO IT
The main method used by the Coalition is by lawful ordinances (Towns and Cities) and Land Use Codes (Towns, Cities, and Counties). Collaborative and cooperative interaction with Federal and State land managers is also part of this method. The Colorado Chapter of IDA and IDA Headquarters are working with State legislation and Federal legislation to direct land managers to specific Dark Sky policies.
Interested in becoming a Western Slope DarkSky Coalition Member? Fill out application and send to westcoloradodarksky@gmail.com. Please reach out with any questions!