Introducing the Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary

Oregon is living up to its reputation for being a leader in nature conservation - now extended to the night sky.

Joey Hamilton/Travel Oregon

We are thrilled to share some very exciting news – the first phase of the Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary in southeastern Oregon has been certified by DarkSky International!  At 2.5 million acres, the Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary is the largest Dark Sky Sanctuary in the world. The newly-certified, star-studded Sanctuary in Lake County is within the largest intact area of world class dark skies in the lower 48 states and represents an area about one-half the size of New Jersey!

The designation was given by DarkSky International, an organization dedicated to protecting the nighttime environment and preserving dark skies through environmentally responsible outdoor lighting. The project is the work of the Oregon Dark Sky Network, an ad-hoc group of state, local and federal officials, private individuals, business owners and tourism agencies. 

Travel Southern Oregon, which is a member of the network, celebrated the designation in a news release Monday. 

“This four-year collaboration brings together so many of the elements we try to achieve in regenerative tourism,” Bob Hackett, executive director of Travel Southern Oregon, said. “It not only elevates the destination experience for visitors to Lake County and opens up opportunities for local businesses, but it also helps agencies and residents steward their lands in ways that celebrate a legacy of starry night skies for generations to come.” 

Oregon already has two destinations with official DarkSky International designations: Prineville Reservoir State Park, which in 2021 became a Dark Sky Park, and Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory, which was named a Dark Sky Place in 2020.

The Oregonian

The Oregon Outback Dark Sky Network that submitted the nomination represents a diverse team of state and local land managers, businesses, nonprofits and private individuals that worked tirelessly for the past four years to reach this outstanding milestone. But they’re not done yet–the Network aspires to expand the certified area eastward into Harney and Malheur Counties to encompass a full 11.4 million acres! 

Jak Wonderly/Travel Southern Oregon

The scale of this designation and the breadth of the partnership effort that went into it reflects the truly remarkable nighttime resource that we have here in Oregon, as well as the value of dark skies—for human and wildlife health, for the preservation of carefully choreographed ecosystem relationships, for our deep cultural history of looking skyward, and for the economic benefits to gateway cities in support of dark sky tourism.

Joey Hamilton/Travel Oregon

DarkSky Oregon supports the OODS Network’s efforts by analyzing and providing night sky brightness measurement data and maps, which confirm the pristine nature of the Sanctuary’s night skies.
Learn more about this remarkable International Dark Sky Sanctuary and the efforts to protect Oregon’s night skies.

DarkSky Oregon
PO Box 777
Bend, OR 97709-0777