July 25, 2025

Michigan Dark Sky Parks: Preserving Night Skies and Fighting Light Pollution

Discover Michigan’s dark sky parks and preserves, their impact on reducing light pollution, and why protecting natural night skies benefits health, wildlife, and stargazing.

Photo: Milky Way on Beaver Island Dark Sky Sanctuary courtesy of Craig Reynolds

You may be surprised to learn that Michigan is home to the first dark sky preserve in the United States. Lake Hudson Recreation Area, less than 40 miles from Saline, was designated a dark sky preserve in 1993. Michigan also has five other Dark Sky Preserves, three International Dark Sky Parks, and one International Dark Sky Sanctuary.

A dark sky park is a designated natural area where artificial light is minimized to protect the natural darkness of the night sky. These parks are managed specifically to reduce light pollution, making them ideal places for stargazing and for studying the effects of natural light on wildlife and ecosystems. By preserving the night sky, dark sky parks provide visitors with a clear view of stars, planets, and the Milky Way while also promoting public awareness of how excess lighting affects human health and the environment.

And if you think that dark sky parks are created for stargazers, you are right. Yet they are so much more. Read on, as we shed light on the importance of dark sky parks and the need to preserve the night sky.

Michigan Dark Skies Raises Awareness About Light Pollution

Meet Professor Sally Oey of the University of Michigan Astronomy Department. She heads up Michigan Dark Skies, whose mission she says is to “raise awareness about light pollution and the problems it causes. Light pollution is not just something that affects astronomers, it affects everyone.”

Michigan Dark Skies is made up of a collaboration of astronomers, bird watchers, environmentalists and academics, but open to all concerned citizens in Washtenaw County and elsewhere. And what is the concern? Oey explains, “In a very brief span of time – biologically we would say ‘in the blink of an eye’ – dramatic changes have occurred with day and nighttime ecosystems. Night has now been reduced to a short and unnatural period, which disrupts circadian rhythms. When these rhythms are disrupted, there are health consequences, and it becomes an ecological emergency.”

But Oey tells us that with small changes, individuals can make a difference. “Light pollution is a problem that could be solved if everybody just paid more attention to turning off the lights when not needed. It’s that simple, and it saves energy.”

It is Important that We Allow Areas to Remain Undisturbed

Michigan Dark Skies also collaborates with local government officials to offer solutions, as local governments play a significant role in addressing light pollution in the US. Local agencies Michigan Dark Skies has worked with include the Washtenaw County Road Commission, Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, and the University of Michigan. Oey notes, “Our group has done different things, such as creating the lighting ordinance for Ann Arbor back in 2021. We are also working with Belle Isle in Detroit to become an Urban Night Sky Place, and we supported the Chelsea Dark Skies group as they worked with the Chelsea city council.”

Kathie Gourlay, a member of Chelsea Dark Skies, says she “is grateful for the help of Professor Oey and her students. Chelsea Dark Skies is a small, grassroots organization, and we were able to make some positive changes with the city of Chelsea.” She reflects that “it is easier to get the rules in place regarding outdoor lighting before bad lighting is installed. The Chelsea area is surrounded by numerous acres of parkland, particularly the Waterloo Recreation Area. It is important that we allow these areas to remain undisturbed by light pollution.”

Michigan Dark Sky Parks from Space Tourism Guide

Stargazing Is Part of Being Alive

Oey has always been interested in astronomy and has devoted her career to making it enjoyable to us, too. She encourages us to “go out and see the stars, they connect you with something profound. It changes your perspective on who we are and what we have in common with each other. Being able to see the night sky and what the romantics write about, what the natural world is like, and what the nocturnal creatures experience – it’s part of being alive.”