The Oregon Outback Dark Sky Network (ODSN) has completed the first phase of a multi-phased project to establish a landscape-level International Dark Sky Sanctuary within the largest, contiguous dark sky zone in the lower 48 United States. Phase 1 (Lake County) of the proposed Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary (OOIDSS) was certified as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary by DarkSky International, making it the largest International Dark Sky Sanctuary to date.

Phase 1 comprises 2.5 million acres in Lake County, southeastern Oregon. The certified area is about one-half the size of New Jersey in a region frequently referred to as the “Oregon Outback.” This sactuary involved numerous federal, state, and local officials negotiating project boundaries and developing and endorsing a joint Lighting Management Plan (LMP). This effort required broad stakeholder engagement and is a model of collaboration and cooperation. When complete, the full OOIDSS will encompass over 11.4 million acres of protected night skies. 

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