Dark Sky

Flagstaff, Arizona, became the first ever DarkSky Community in 2001. Central Idaho is home to the only DarkSky Reserve in the U.S. and Utah has the highest concentration of places globally. More towns in Colorado want to join the ranks.

A worldwide building boom of big, bright Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temples is meeting pushback in a place not known for moderation. In Las Vegas, homeowners just a 30-minute drive from glittery resorts say they were trampled when officials approved a temple larger than the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

After a COVID-19 slump, Utah’s parks have seen record visitors, with spending to match, every year since 2021.

In annual reports sent to Dark Sky International, Utah’s national and state parks list light pollution from development and tourism as the main threat to maintaining their certification.

The group seeking to stop the construction of a proposed Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple over traffic, dark skies and zoning concerns in the Skyline Drive neighborhood.

Bryce Canyon National Park Superintendent Jim Ireland said the park — one of the smallest in the country — is at the edge of what staff can manage with the current visitorship.

The changes, which include some new guidelines, come after a request from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and lots of public debate.

The latest Utah news for Friday morning, April 22, 2022

Dark Skies Week is a global celebration of the world’s remaining dark skies sites. But maintaining those views in a growing state like Utah can be a delicate balance.

This summer, KUER producer Benjamin Bombard is traveling around Utah looking for places that are…extra. Extreme. His first mission: to find the darkest place — above ground — in the state. He just might have found it among the redrock spires of Kodachrome State Park.

A new artist residency at the University of Utah is working to bolster the connection between artists and scientists working on environmentally-minded projects to help people think more deeply about their place in the world and their role in shaping it.

The latest Utah news on Monday evening, December 21, 2020.