PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – As Saturday marks the beginning of International Dark Sky Week, Travel Oregon is sharing some of the top places to stargaze in Oregon during the spring and summer months.
“Eighty three percent of people around the world live under light-polluted sky,” Allie Gardner with Travel Oregon said. “In Portland, for example, I love looking at a starry sky and I get really excited to see Venus and Mars and maybe a few stars. But then you go out a little further from the city and you realize what you’re missing – being able to see the Universe and feel that sense of awe and wonder.”
Travel Oregon’s top stargazing destinations:
- Lake County’s Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge
- Summer Lake Wildlife Area
- Klamath County’s Crater Lake National Park
- Wallowa Lake State Park
- Prineville Reservoir State Park
- Rooster Rock State Park
- LL Stub Stewart State Park
Travel Oregon is also encouraging Oregonians to check how much light pollution their homes give off at night by thinking about where and when you need outdoor lighting.
According to Gardner, light pollution is increasing at two times the rate of the global population.
Aside from impacting views of the stars, Gardner says light pollution has other impacts on humans including increased stress and anxiety and can impact nesting and migratory patterns of wildlife.