Colorado’s list of communities working to protect the night sky continues to grow. The Town of Frisco has officially been designated an International Dark Sky Community by DarkSky International, recognizing the mountain town’s commitment to reducing light pollution and preserving its spectacular nighttime environment.
Frisco becomes the ninth International Dark Sky Community in Colorado, joining Westcliffe and Silver Cliff, Norwood, Nucla and Naturita, Ridgway, Crestone, Paonia, Breckenridge, and Old Snowmass.
For a mountain community surrounded by some of Colorado’s most beautiful landscapes, protecting the night sky is a natural extension of Frisco’s commitment to its environment.
What Is a Dark Sky Community?
The International Dark Sky Places program recognizes communities, parks, and other places that take meaningful steps to protect the natural nighttime environment.
For communities, certification requires more than simply having dark skies. Communities must demonstrate support for dark-sky protection, measure their existing sky quality, develop a lighting inventory and management plan, adopt responsible outdoor lighting policies, and provide ongoing public education.
The goal isn’t to eliminate outdoor lighting. Instead, dark-sky lighting puts light where it is needed while reducing glare, light trespass, and the artificial glow that washes out the stars.
Responsible lighting can also save energy, reduce impacts on wildlife, and make outdoor spaces more comfortable by reducing harsh glare.
A Grassroots Effort in Frisco
Frisco’s journey toward Dark Sky certification began with local residents.
In 2023, local dark-sky advocates approached Town staff about pursuing International Dark Sky Community certification. In March 2024, the Frisco Town Council directed staff to begin the process. The Town submitted its application to begin the certification process that summer and received confirmation in August 2024 that it was eligible to continue.
From there, Frisco began the work required to complete its certification. That included measuring the brightness of the night sky, evaluating existing outdoor lighting, developing community support, and working toward lighting improvements.
The Town also formed a steering committee and incorporated dark-sky education into existing community programs.
Help From DarkSky Colorado
Frisco’s certification was also part of a larger statewide effort to help Colorado communities protect their night skies.
DarkSky Colorado, the Colorado chapter of DarkSky International, works with communities across the state to reduce light pollution through education, advocacy, responsible lighting practices, and DarkSky certification.
One of its most important programs is the Colorado Dark Sky Certification Mentor Program, a partnership involving DarkSky Colorado and the Colorado Tourism Office. The program provides communities with technical assistance as they work toward International Dark Sky Place certification.
Frisco was selected as one of four participants in the program’s 2024–2025 cycle, along with Lake County, Berthoud, and Rangely. Each participant received 70 hours of free consulting from DarkSky Colorado.
Frisco’s assigned mentor was Mark Laurin, who worked with Town staff on the certification process. His assistance included helping the Town understand the certification requirements, conduct sky-quality measurements, evaluate lighting, and plan for community outreach.
The program is a great example of how Colorado communities can learn from one another instead of having to develop their dark-sky programs from scratch.
DarkSky Colorado says that Colorado now has more certified dark-sky communities and open spaces than almost any other state. The organization also works to help additional communities enter the certification process and provides resources for sky-quality monitoring, lighting inventories, and responsible outdoor lighting.
Lighting Up the Right Way
Becoming a Dark Sky Community does not mean Frisco will become a town without lights. Instead, the Town is working to make sure its outdoor lighting is useful without unnecessarily illuminating the sky.
Frisco has already begun making improvements. Streetlights along Main Street and South Summit Boulevard have been upgraded to DarkSky-compliant fixtures. The Town’s regulations will also establish timelines for bringing existing lighting into compliance. Town-owned outdoor lighting will have five years to meet the requirements, while private outdoor lighting will have 10 years.
Additional rules will address things such as festoon lighting, seasonal lighting, and business signage. These changes are designed to preserve safety and visibility while reducing unnecessary light.
Why Dark Skies Matter
For astronomers, the benefits are obvious. Less artificial light means more stars become visible, and the Milky Way remains easier to see. But protecting the night sky benefits much more than astronomy.
Artificial light at night can disrupt wildlife that depends on natural patterns of darkness. Migrating birds can become disoriented by artificial light, while nocturnal animals may have difficulty feeding, hunting, or moving through their habitats. Dark skies can also reduce wasted energy and improve the quality of outdoor lighting. Properly shielded lights can reduce glare, allowing people to see more clearly while using light more efficiently.
And there is something else worth protecting: our connection to the night sky. For thousands of years, people have looked up at the stars to tell stories, navigate, keep calendars, and wonder about our place in the universe. In an increasingly bright world, those opportunities are becoming harder to find.
Colorado’s Growing Dark Sky Movement
Frisco’s certification is part of a much larger effort taking place across Colorado.
The state has become a national leader in dark-sky conservation, with certified communities, national parks, monuments, recreation areas, and other protected places working to preserve natural darkness.
DarkSky Colorado and the Colorado Tourism Office are helping expand that effort through the Dark Sky Certification Mentor Program. The program has already helped communities move closer to certification by providing technical assistance and connecting local leaders with people who have experience with dark-sky projects.
The effort has expanded beyond communities, too. Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Colorado Tourism Office launched a related program to help a dozen Colorado state parks pursue Dark Sky certification, with DarkSky Colorado providing consulting and technical assistance.
The result is a growing network of places where Colorado residents and visitors can experience a more natural night sky.
A New Destination for Stargazers
Frisco’s location makes its certification especially exciting for Colorado stargazers. Located in Summit County at about 9,000 feet in elevation and surrounded by the Tenmile Range, Frisco already offers spectacular mountain scenery during the day. Now the community is working to make sure the stars remain part of that landscape after sunset.
Dark-sky protection also has benefits for tourism. Stargazing is an increasingly popular way for visitors to experience Colorado, and communities that protect their nighttime environment can offer something that many visitors from cities rarely get to see: a sky filled with stars. Frisco’s certification recognizes that the night sky is itself a natural resource worth protecting.
A Milestone, Not the Finish Line
Earning Dark Sky certification is an important achievement, but it is not the end of the process.
Certified communities are expected to continue educating residents and visitors, monitoring their night skies, and maintaining their commitment to responsible outdoor lighting.
Frisco’s work will continue as existing lighting is brought into compliance and the community finds new ways to share the value of dark skies with residents and visitors.
The Town’s experience also provides a model for other Colorado communities considering the same path. With help from DarkSky Colorado and the Colorado Dark Sky Certification Mentor Program, communities don’t have to navigate the process alone.
Keep Looking Up
From the Wet Mountain Valley to the San Luis Valley, the Western Slope, and now Summit County, Colorado communities are showing that protecting dark skies is possible without giving up the benefits of modern outdoor lighting. Frisco’s new designation is another important step in that effort. It preserves not only the stars above the town, but also the wildlife, natural environment, and sense of wonder that come with a naturally dark night. For anyone who has stood beneath a truly dark Colorado sky and watched the Milky Way stretch across the mountains, it’s a reminder of what we are working to preserve. And that’s something worth looking up for.
