JACKSON, Wyo. — Teton County is on the way to becoming the first International Dark Sky Community Certified county in the country.
On Tuesday, June 4, the Teton County Board of County Commissioners approved the request from the Planning and Building Services Department to apply for certification through the International Dark Sky Association (IDA). If approved, the County will have five years to achieve IDA compliance.
Wyoming Stargazing Executive Director Samuel Singer, Ph.D., estimates that about 400 fixtures will need to be updated, which could range from replacing light bulbs, adding shields or turning down the brightness of a light.
Planning and Building Services Director Chris Nuebecker said it could cost an estimated $50,000 to $100,000 to achieve compliance but added that many lights will reach the end of life anyway within the five years, and funding is already included in maintenance budgets. An estimated 40-50% of the non-compliant fixtures only require changing the light bulb. Compliance is also expected to decrease energy costs, with one example from County staff suggesting that lighting that costs about $2,000 per year to operate could be reduced to $280 per year.
The effort to curb light pollution in Teton County has primarily been championed by Singer, who first requested updates to the county’s Land Development Regulations (LDRs) in 2016, to curb light pollution from private property. Then, in 2022, Singer proposed additional revisions to the LDRs, related to exterior fixtures, aligning regulations with the IDA’s standards. In June 2023, Singer completed an inventory of Teton County-owned exterior lighting, which totals 700 fixtures.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Singer explained that an additional three-year extension is possible, so the county has eight years to bring about 400 lights into compliance. Singer said the effort boils down to changing one light bulb per week, which he called “not a heavy lift.”
While Teton County might become the first county to be a Certified Dark Sky Community, efforts to combat light pollution through IDA have caught hold in other regions of the state. Yellowstone National Park celebrated Dark Sky Week, this past April, saying, “The night sky is more than a scenic canvas — it’s part of a complex ecosystem that supports both natural and cultural resources.”
In November 2023, Sinks Canyon State Park became the first park in Wyoming to be designated as a Dark Sky Park.
According to Singer, Jackson Hole Airport has an application with IDA in the works, and leadership at Grand Teton National Park has also expressed interest.
“Because Grand Teton National Park is officially in Teton County when the park is ready to apply, they would just become part of the Teton County Dark Sky Community,” Singer said. “We‘ve also started talking with Yellowstone as well as the [Bridger-Teton] National Forest and there is interest in creating an entire Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem area-sized, Dark Sky Reserve; so that is a very real possibility in the next five to 10 years.”
