The world’s largest proposed dark sky reserve!
The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) Dark Sky Reserve would protect over 20 million acres of dark night skies!
Just over 100 years ago, a group of Jackson Hole local residents met in a small cabin along the banks of the Snake River with the Yellowstone Superintendent and hatched a plan that would set the course for the valley that is today known as Jackson Hole. They knew that if something wasn’t done soon the entire valley would be developed. They wanted to save parts of what they loved about the valley–the rivers, the lakes, the wildlife, and the vast undeveloped landscape. Despite formidable challenges, they were successful in helping to create Grand Teton National Park. One hundred years ago, they couldn’t have possibly imagined that artificial light would threaten the health and the beauty of the land they were trying to save.
We are continuing their legacy of conservation by protecting the national parks above our heads, the dark night skies.
Beginning in the 1960s, John and Frank Craighead began conducting pioneering research on grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park using radio telemetry. Among many other things, they discovered that grizzly bears ranged far outside the boundaries of the park. The bears roamed through a huge area encompassing Yellowstone’s surrounding National Forests, municipal, and private lands. That area is now known as the greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). There is still no complete agreement on its boundaries nor is their any official designation for the GYE that would help protect its natural resources. We hope to change that with the GYE Dark Sky Reserve.
The proposed boundaries of the GYE Dark Sky Preserve are shown above. Click here or on the map to see the pull Prospectus.
Why is creating the GYE Dark Sky Reserve Important?
The GYE currently has no completely agreed upon boundaries nor official designation even though there are many animals that rely on that intact largely undeveloped area. Receiving Dark Sky designation for the GYE would open the door for other conservation organizations to seek additional designations to protect the area’s natural resources.
Dark night skies have always been a part of the GYE. As the continental United States’ largest intact ecosystem, the GYE is a special place that people visit from all around the world. While they may initially visit to see the splendors that the area holds on the ground, they are equally mesmerized by what lies above at night. With fewer and fewer places worldwide that experience true darkness it is critical that we save one of the largest remaining places of true darkness in the US.
What areas will the GYE Dark Sky Reserve include?
- Grand Teton National Park
- Yellowstone National Park
- Wind River Indian Reservation
- Bridger-Teton NF
- Caribou-Targhee NF
- Shoshone NF
- Custer-Gallatin NF
- Beaverhead-Deerlodge
- Curlew National Grassland
- National Elk Refuge
- Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
- Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge
- BLM Lands 7%, 1.5 Million Acres
- Sinks Canyon State Park
- Buffalo Bill State Park
- Hot Springs State Park
- Boysen Reservoir State Park
- Edness K. Wilkins State Park
- Bear River State Park
- Bannack State Park
- Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park
- Madison Buffalo Jump State Park
- Finley Point State Park & Black Sandy State Park
- Giant Springs State Park
- Harriman State Park
- Henrys Lake State Park
- Fremont
- Hot Springs
- Lincoln
- Park
- Sublette
- Teton
- Beaverhead
- Carbon
- Gallatin
- Madison
- Park
- Stillwater
- Sweetgrass
- Bonneville
- Fremont
- Madison
- Teton, ID
- Jackson
- Pindale
- Cody
- Afton
- Dubois
- West Yellowstone
- Gardiner
- Cooke City-Silver Gate
- Bozeman
- Big Sky
- Red Lodge
- Livingston
- Ennis
- Driggs
- Victor
- Idaho Falls
- Island Park
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