About Us
In 1932, Glacier National Park (Montana, USA) combined with Water Lakes National Park (Alberta, Canada) to form the world’s first International Peace Park. In 2017, the park was designated as an International Dark Sky Park (IDSP) with provisional status, a testament to their dedication in preserving the night skies. The designation was awarded by the International Dark Sky Association (IDA), a leading organization that recognizes the importance of reducing light pollution across the planet.
Photo by Martin Kraft, CC BY-SA 3.0
As a part being an International Dark Sky Park with provisional status, Glacier is subject to specific rules set by the IDA in the following categories:
1. Sky Quality: A quantified measurement of darkness throughout the park’s skies.
2. Lighting Compliance: How many lighting fixtures in the park follow published IDA standards in reducing light pollution.
3. Educational Outreach: The education of the public about the importance of dark skies to humans and wildlife.
Check out the video Glacier National Park made for International Dark Sky week 2020.
Since Glacier is currently an International Dark Sky Park with provisional status, the park has several deadlines to meet in order to become and maintain full International Dark Sky Park status.
April 2017
Initial IDSP application. Glacier has 29% lighting compliance.
March 2021
Glacier must have 67% lighting compliance to obtain full IDSP status.
October 2022
Glacier must have 90% lighting compliance to maintain full IDSP status.
October 2027
Glacier must have 100% lighting compliance to maintain full IDSP status.
As of October 2020, Glacier sits at 61% lighting compliance and is on track to obtain full International Dark Sky Park Status.
This website was created by a group of students from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) as a part of a research project. The goal of our project was to assist Glacier National Park in achieving full International Dark Sky Park status by evaluating the park’s night sky quality, lighting compliance, and educational programs to ensure achievement of full IDSP status given the timeframe by the IDA.
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions or opinions of Worcester Polytechnic Institute or Glacier National Park.