Staunton River State Park has been issued Dark Sky Park status by the International Dark Sky Association! Many congratulations and thanks to Adam Layman, Park Manager and Jayme Hanzak, President of the Chapel Hill Astronomical and Observational Society. An excerpt from the press release announcing the designation follows:
“(TUCSON, Ariz., and RICHMOND) – Staunton River State Park, in Scottsburg, has been named an International Dark Sky Park by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), becoming the first park in Virginia and only the 25th park in the world with the designation. Staunton River State Park is managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR)”
Staunton River State Park management has worked very hard to achieve Dark Sky Park status in conjunction with the Chapel Hill Astronomical and Observational Society (CHAOS). Achieving this milestone required securing the support of surrounding communities, collection of a substantial amount of information to characterize the sky darkness, develop strategic plans for maintaining and protecting the dark skies and documenting all of this information in a lengthy application. Many organizations, including RAS, submitted letters of support. As amateur astronomers, we owe our continued support to the Park for this monumental achievement.
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