Program Overview

The Colorado Tourism Office and DarkSky Colorado seek to partner with tourism destinations across the state that are interested in advancing strategies that help achieve International Dark Sky Place (IDSP) certification and enhance Colorado’s visitor experience.

Participants in the Colorado Dark Sky Certification Mentor program will receive 70 hours of free consulting from DarkSky Colorado to implement activities that reduce light pollution and protect access to Colorado’s incredible night skies. Successful implementation will increase Colorado’s competitive edge as a destination and provide a wealth of benefits for Colorado communities.
 

Program objectives include:

• Increased collaboration between state and local tourism leaders
• Reduced energy consumption and economic impact from cost savings and increased property value
• Increased local and regional quality of life through enhanced health and well-being, cultural heritage, and sense of place
• Increased awareness of the value of visible night skies and their benefit to local wildlife and ecology
• Increased number of IDSP certifications in Colorado

Program participants will collaborate with representatives from DarkSky Colorado to develop a scope of work that details how they will utilize the 70 hours of free consulting provided through the program. Example consulting activities include:

• Understanding how to structure a successful application for IDSP Certification
• Foster alignment between local stakeholders and buy-in for IDSP certification
• Understand the requirements and successful language related to local ordinances and land use codes to reduce light pollution and energy consumption
• Facilitate site visits to conduct assessments of local lighting infrastructure and measure darkness levels with a Sky Quality Meter
• Host stargazing or other community dark sky awareness events
• Increase outreach and education regarding the benefits of dark sky certification that improve quality of life
• Develop, enhance, and promote visitor experiences related to stargazing
• Support local partner organizations that provide long-term sustainability of dark sky programming

Program timeline:

Eligibility

Registered non-profit organizations, federally recognized tribes, or local city, county, state, or federal governmental organizations are eligible to apply.

Program eligibility is limited to locations that have submitted a request to join the DarkSky Internationals designation pipeline. If you have not already done so, you can open a file on the Dark Sky website. Note that there is a $250 application fee to open a file

How to Apply

Although not required, we encourage you to submit a brief LOI prior to completing a full application so that the Colorado Tourism Office and DarkSky Colorado can learn more about your interest in this program.

Roles and responsibilities of program participants:

• Identifying a project champion currently leading the application who will work directly with the mentor
• Participation in planning meetings with the Colorado Tourism Office and DarkSky Colorado to develop a scope of work for 70 hours of free consulting
• Ongoing leadership within their destination to implement the scope of work, with the mentor acting as extended support team
• Timely responses to communications from the Colorado Tourism Office and DarkSky Colorado

As part of the application, you will also need to provide:

• A Certificate of Good Standing from the Colorado Secretary of State
• A letter of support from the land management agency, Board of County Commissioners, Tribal Council, and/or Town Council (if applicable)
• A screenshot or PDF proof of the IDSP pipeline application
• Letters of support from additional individuals and organizations are not required, but applications demonstrating broad community support are more competitive

Selection Process

A panel of industry partners and representatives from both Colorado Tourism Office and DarkSky Colorado reviews applications and recommends awards based on demonstrated need, capacity to participate, and demonstrated support from appropriate governing bodies. A representative from the Colorado Tourism Office will respond to your application within one month of the application deadline.

FY24 Participating Partners

The following Colorado tourism partners participated in the program from November 2023 to June 2024:

• Town of Bayfield (via Durango Area Tourism Office) - supported efforts to approve a lighting ordinance, coordinate lighting inventory and sky quality measurements, as well as support staff with community education and outreach as needed. Deliverables included:
  • Community outreach materials
  • Dark Sky educational event 
  • Sky quality measurement plan
• Town of Grand Lake - began the International Dark Sky Place (IDSP) community certification process for the town by completing and initiating core task requirements of the certification. Deliverables included:
  • Organized Coalition for the Star
  • Light management plan and dark sky compliant light ordinance
  • Community outreach event
  • Sky brightness measurements
  • Lighting inventory of 50% of the town’s lights
• Town of Rangely - provided with the tools needed to become a certified International Dark SKy Community. Deliverables included: 
  • Identification and maps of the Town’s dark sky boundaries
  • Community event list and timeline of action items
  • Planning and execution of a Sky Quality Measuring plan
  • “How to choose a dark sky light” tool
  • Town lighting inventory
  • Lighting ordinance draft
• Town of Silverton (via San Juan Development Association) - achieve a better understanding and knowledge of how to write complex lighting ordinances Deliverables included:
  • Lighting ordinance for the town
  • Sky quality meter readings guidance
  • Plan for finalizing lighting inventory 
  • Hosting public outreach events
• Visit Estes Park - completed elements of the Dark Sky Community certification application. Deliverables included:
  • Lighting ordinance framework 
  • Lighting management plan 
  • Sky quality meter plan
• Western Slope Dark Sky Association - draft as much of the International Dark Sky Place (IDSP) application as possible and to work on completing the unfinished application elements. Deliverables included:
  • Lighting inventories for the County and towns
  • Land use information gathered
  • Draft International Dark Sky Reserve application and checklist
  • Partner contact list
  • Community outreach/public relations plan
  • Updated website presence

Type: Technical assistance and certification

For: Tourism partners

OEDIT division: Colorado Tourism Office