From the darkness needed for a restful night’s sleep to the activities we enjoy beneath the stars, the night is filled with wonder and importance. Dark nights sustain critical wildlife ecosystems, strengthen the well-being of our communities, enable scientific discovery, and preserve shared cultural knowledge and traditions.
Join us this April as we “go dark” to explore the night and take action to protect dark skies worldwide.
Diamond Mountain Retreat Center, located in southeastern Arizona, has been officially designated as a DarkSky Lodging facility. Nestled in the remote foothills of the Chiricahua Mountains, Diamond Mountain spans over 1,000 acres of wilderness near Fort Bowie National Monument, Chiricahua National Monument, and the ghost town of Dos Cabezas. The retreat center offers exceptional dark sky education opportunities, introducing the nocturnal wildlife that share this landscape. Visitors learn to respect the natural rhythms of these animals as they migrate or contribute to the ecosystem through pollination. As stewards of over 1,000 acres, Diamond Mountain is committed to preserving the land’s natural character. With most of the global population now living in cities, this environment offers rare access to natural darkness—for both wildlife and human well-being. Monthly educational programs welcome the public, giving local schools and community members the chance to observe the night sky and learn about the ecological systems that sustain it.
On September 3, 2024, after an extensive application and rigorous certification process, Tubac has earned the prestigious designation as Arizona’s newest International Dark Sky Community. This accolade places Tubac among an elite group of only 48 communities worldwide that have achieved this certification. Arizona, home to the certifying non-profit DarkSky International, now features six International Dark Sky Communities, further cementing the state’s role as a leader in dark sky preservation efforts.
On November 19, 2024, the southern Arizona city of Bisbee was certified as an International Dark Sky Community by Dark Sky International. This is a culmination of a 6-year effort by a dedicated group of volunteers who partnered with the city of Bisbee to achieve this status.
“Bisbee is a unique town both historically and geographically, and the dark sky advocates of the city embrace both qualities in their efforts to achieve this certification,” said DarkSky International Program Associate Michael Rymer. “The Bisbee Dark Skies advocacy group has done a lot to promote dark sky policy and education, and it’s exciting to look forward to their progress in the coming years.”
The city of Bisbee is located in Cochise County in the southwest corner of Arizona, just 5 miles north of the international border with Mexico. It was originally settled by miners after a chance discovery of rich mineral deposits of copper, silver, and gold in 1877. By 1900, Bisbee’s population exploded to over 20,000 and was incorporated as a statutory city in 1902. Because of its rich mineral deposits, Bisbee became one of the wealthiest cities west of St. Louis. Much of the city’s infrastructure was constructed during this period.
Bisbee remained an active mining community until the mid-1970s. When the mine closed, a tremendous shift occurred in the local population. The mine employees and their families left to pursue work elsewhere, and an influx of creative free spirits followed. They found Bisbee’s historic district to be an attractive, inspiring, and inexpensive location to settle and pursue their artistic endeavors.
Today Bisbee is a culturally rich community of 4,972 residents who treasure its history and resist the development that has changed so many of our larger cities, such as a plethora of fast food restaurants or big-box stores. Its Planning Commission and Design Review Board work hard to keep it that way. When a group of motivated residents proposed the concept of becoming an International Dark Sky Community, the Bisbee City Council, the Planning Commission, and the Design Review Board endorsed it unanimously.
Bisbee Dark Skies has broad support from the local population. One long-time resident, Cathy Clark, said, “This designation is fantastic! Now we can keep what we have.”
This press release was written to publicly oppose the Federal Administration’s plan to reduce some national monuments to facilitate drilling and mining projects on Federal lands, primarily by foreign mining consortiums.
May 24, 2025
On May 23, 2025, we wrote to the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality the following letter as a follow-up to our April 3, 2025 letter emphasizing a DarkSky lighting approach to reduce county carbon emissions (in response to Board of Supervisors
April 3, 2025
On April 3, 2025, we wrote to the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality the following letter as our response to their request for input to Pima County’s Climate Plan:
November 10, 2024: A local gem, Oracle State Park night visits, presented in Tucson’s PBS Channel 6 “Trail Mix’d” show.
September 3, 2024: Tubac receives the coveted International Dark Sky Community designation.
July 16, 2024: We wrote to Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, Tucson Council and Pima Board of Supervisors regarding the update of the 2012 Tucson/Pima County Outdoor Lighting Code. The code is outdated, and the current update is overdue.
July 1, 2024: We wrote to Governor Katie Hobbs regarding the potential negative impact on dark skies of the currently preferred West alignment of the proposed I-11.
May 2024: A new PSA series of fantastic dark sky videos is available from DarkSky Oregon. Here is an example.
March 20, 2024: at 6pm our Chapter had a membership meeting at the CFSAZ building in Tucson. Carolyn Shafer of PARA (Patagonia Area Resource Alliance) made a wonderful presentation. She discussed the environmental consequences of ongoing mining activities in the Patagonia mountains. Here is Carolyn’s title page:
