Jackson Hole Becomes First Commercial Airport to Achieve Dark Sky Certification

Around the world, there are more than 240 certified International Dark Sky Places - locations such as parks, communities or protected areas that have worked to reduce the impacts on artificial lighting on the natural environment.  Now, for the first time ever, there’s also a dark sky airport.

Wyoming’s Jackson Hole Airport (JAC), a public-use commercial airport and the only airport located within a national park (Grand Teton), has just earned that distinction from the certification program, which is a voluntary program. 

“This certification of the world’s first airport as an International Dark Sky Place is certainly special for the obvious reasons”, DarkSky International Program Associate Michael Rymer, said in a statement. 

“But what is really worth celebrating is how much work the airport’s managers and staff put into retrofitting nearly 200 light fixtures in under a year. Their leadership in recognizing the need for and then implementing responsible outdoor lighting is a huge part of this project’s success,” Rymer added.

When used indiscriminately, artificial light can disrupt ecosystems, while also impacting human health. Excessive use of artificial light also wastes money and energy, contributes to climate change, according to the Dark Sky Places Program.

Long focused on being a leader with regard to environmental responsibility, green building and energy efficiency, JAC staff spent hundreds of hours updating lighting fixtures and programming to adhere to dark sky lighting practices. 

That effort has not only improved the stargazing experience around the airport, but will also protect wildlife in Grand Teton National Park and surrounding areas that rely on the natural nocturnal environment to thrive.

“The staff and Board at the Airport are mindful of the special obligation we have to Grand Teton National Park and our surrounding community,” Rob Wallace, the Airport Board President, said in a statement.

The airport’s broader goal in earning the Dark Sky Place certification is to promote responsible outdoor lighting locally and across the aviation industry.

JAC’s newly awarded Dark Sky certification also further enhances the collective dark sky efforts of the region, (which includes the Town of Jackson, Teton County) as an International Dark Sky Community.

How is Dark Sky lighting at an airport implemented?

For safety and security reasons, JAC is required to maintain its obligation to meet Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lighting standards, even as a Dark Sky Place. 

To address both of those goals, JAC staff developed a lighting management plan that established a policy for its outdoor lighting practices on the landside of the airport and other exterior lighting on the airside that’s not associated with the safe operation of aircraft.

The effort included replacing and upgrading exterior lighting, totaling more than 250 fixtures to date. Operational practices inside JAC’s terminal building were also modified with the goal of minimizing light spill. For instance, in the evening, screens and lighting in the ticketing areas are turned off. 

Overall, the new lighting plan embraces DarkSky’s five principles for responsible outdoor lighting: useful; targeted; low level; controlled; and warm-colored.

“Grand Teton National Park is a place where people can still see planets, stars and be mesmerized by the Milky Way just by stepping outside,” said Chip Jenkins, Superintendent, Grand Teton National Park. "A night sky is a resource as valuable and awe-inspiring as seeing a grizzly bear or catching a fish in the Snake River. Protecting the night sky requires effort from all of us and we appreciate how the Jackson Hole Airport has embraced this work.”

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