Another part of Colorado has been recognized for its rare celestial view.

In announcing the state’s next Dark Sky Community, DarkSky International described Old Snowmass as a “spectacular corner of the Roaring Fork Valley” ー an unincorporated corner between Aspen and Basalt that has been the center of a grassroots effort to fight light pollution in recent years.

It was an effort led by Martha Ferguson, who founded WildSky Old Snowmass.

“Our intention is to safeguard the health of our residents and the survival of wildlife that depends on the dark of night,” Ferguson said in a news release announcing the new Dark Sky Community. “This certification is a testament to our collective effort to protect the quality and beauty of our shared night sky.”

Old Snowmass joins 20 other places in Colorado with the certification, most of them being parks. Old Snowmass is the state’s eighth Dark Sky Community, joining Westcliffe and Silver Cliff; Norwood; Nucla and Naturita; Ridgway, Crestone; Paonia; and Breckenridge.

Similar to Breckenridge ー which became the state’s first resort town to gain the certification last year ー advocates and officials around Aspen worked on regulations and educational programming to appeal to DarkSky International. The organization credited “an exceptional lighting ordinance” set by Pitkin County last year. The ordinance limits hours for outdoor lighting, sets restrictions for holidays and calls for certain bulbs and covers.

DarkSky International also credited Old Snowmass’s natural setting ー “a rural mountain enclave defined by its prehistoric roots, ranching heritage and expansive open spaces.”

The Dark Sky Community announcement mentions “Jurassic-era dinosaur habitat” that “much later became a summer hunting ground for the Ute Tribe” before “a vital agricultural hub” rose during Aspen’s silver boom. Something of another boom followed the COVID-19 pandemic: “a rise in residential construction and a subsequent threat of light pollution.”

That’s when Ferguson got to work forming WildSky Old Snowmass. This led to collaboration with Pitkin County and Capitol Creek Caucus, the nonprofit neighborhood organization dedicated to the surrounding environment.

In a statement, DarkSky International’s Community Program Manager Michael Rymer praised “another great example of advocates coming together to accomplish a goal that impacts the world beyond the borders of their own community.” He said he hoped the certification “opens more opportunities for other communities in and around Pitkin County to unite for dark skies.”