“Mortal as I am, I know that I am born for a day. But when I follow at my pleasure the serried multitude of the stars in their circular course, my feet no longer touch the earth.” Ptolemy
Last month the International Dark Sky Association certified the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) as an international Dark Sky Sanctuary (DSS).
The rare designation makes the BWCAW only the world’s 13th Certified Dark Sky Sanctuary.
The non-motorized wilderness park lies within the Superior National Forest and at 1,090,000 acres, contains 1,175 lakes, over 12,000 miles of canoe routes, more than 2,000 designated campsites and 12 hiking trails.
With approximately 250,000 annual visitors, the BWCAW is the most visited wilderness in the country. It is managed by the U.S. Forest Service, which has spent the last 12 years working to have the BWCA named to the DSS status.
In a press release Superior National Forest Supervisor Connie Cummins exclaimed, “We are excited to receive the Dark Skies Sanctuary designation for the BWCAW and are committed to preserving dark sky opportunities for future generations.”
Founded in 1988, the International Dark Sky Association’s goal is to end light pollution. The non-profit’s mission is to “preserve and protect the nighttime environment.”
A statement from the U.S. Forest Service said, “This designation confirms what people in the area have enjoyed for thousands of years. Dark skies, starry nights, and astonishing northern light displays have been part of the experience long before the area was designated wilderness with the passages of the 1964 Wilderness Act and 1978 BWCA Wilderness Act, subsequent legislation.”
According to the IDSA website, the definition of a Dark Sky Sanctuary is, “public or private land that has an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and a nocturnal environment that is protected for its scientific, natural or educational value, its cultural heritage and/ or public enjoyment. An IDSS differs from a Dark Sky Park or Reserve in that it is typically situated in a very remote location with few (if any) nearby threats to the quality of its dark night skies and does not otherwise meet the requirements for designation as a Park or Reserve. The typical geographic isolation of Sanctuaries significantly limits opportunities for public outreach, so an IDSS designation is specifically designed to increase awareness of these fragile sites and promote their longterm conservation.”
Some of the goals of the DSS designation are to promote sustainable ecotourism and astrotourism; protect nocturnal habitats, public enjoyment of the night sky and its heritage, and identification of areas ideal for professional and or/amateur astronomy. It also encourages other sites to become environmental leaders on dark sky issues by communicating the importance of dark skies and by providing an example of what is possible with proper stewardship.
The IDSS designation is not awarded in perpetuity. It is subjected to reviews and the status can be taken away if the minimum program requirements are not maintained.
BWCAW Program Manager Ann Schwaller said, “Conservation and preservation laws, policy and guidance, all lead to the protection of the night skies for scientific, natural, educational, cultural, and public enjoyment values, which are all part of protecting wilderness character.”
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