Blanco designated Texas’ 5th Dark Sky community

“The City of Blanco has always been enamored with the night sky.” Ashley Wilson, director of conservation with IDA

The city of Blanco in Blanco County has joined four other Texas cities in the Hill Country as the latest to be granted the sought-after International Dark Sky Community designation.

The International Dark-sky Association announced this week that Blanco had earned the designation, which means the city is “protecting the night sky above and around the city from the ravages of light pollution,” the group said in a news release.

“The City of Blanco has always been enamored with the night sky,” said Ashley Wilson, director of conservation with IDA. “With their tireless work, paired with the foundation of a tight-knit community and ecstatic partners, their cumulative actions have led to successfully celebrating and protecting the night sky.”

Applicants wishing to earn the Dark Sky designation follow a rigorous application process to demonstrate robust community support for dark sky protection and document designation-specific program requirements.

Blanco’s 295-page application represented a communitywide effort and provided detailed documentation of work done by city staff and community volunteers over many years to reach this goal, the news release said.

Blanco, with a population of approximately 2,100, prides itself as being the “Heart and Hub of the Texas Hill Country.”

The four neighboring Dark Sky-designated communities are Fredericksburg, Dripping Springs, Horseshoe Bay and the Wimberley Valley. Additionally, Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park (Ranch Unit), Enchanted Rock State Natural Area and Milton Reimers Ranch — all a short drive from Blanco — have been designated as IDA International Dark Sky Parks.

An IDA International Dark Sky Community is a town, city, municipality or other legally organized community that has shown exceptional dedication to the preservation of the night sky through the implementation and enforcement of a quality outdoor lighting ordinance, dark sky education and citizen support of dark skies.

Blanco became the fifth Dark Sky community in Texas and the 35th on the planet.

Dark skies are becoming increasingly hard to come by as development soars in the Hill Country region.

“The Hill Country Alliance is thrilled about this certification, and we send enthusiastic congratulations to the entire Blanco community on this achievement,” said HCA Night Sky Program Manager Dawn Davies in the news release. “Our region cares deeply about night sky preservation, and as a designated International Dark-sky Community, the City of Blanco is an inspiration to us all.”