Parks in the News: Big Bend Declared a "Dark Sky Park".

As if I needed any more reasons to go here!

http://earthsky.org/earth/big-bend-national-park-designated-as-an-international-dark-sky-park?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+earthskyblog+%28EarthSky+Blog%29

I guess this means the park has won out its battles against nearby development.  While I am normally in favor of having commercial support for our parks, much of Trans-Pecos Texas is unsuitable for it, and quite frankly, sometimes wilderness preservation needs to tell the almighty dollar to step back.  From the sounds of it, the local communities are in agreement.

One of my biggest disappointments in spending the night near Capitol Reef last summer was that my (isolated) hotel had tons of outdoor lighting that ruined the experience.  Hopefully the same will not hold true for Big Bend, and the designation lives up to its name.

For those wondering, Big Bend National Park is basically the showcase park for the Chihuahuan Desert, the largest North American desert.  While it lacks an impressive signature plant like the Mojave's Joshua tree or the Sonoran's Saguaro cactus, the Chihuahuan desert has an incredible biodiversity befitting its position between the more tropical parts of Mexico, the Rocky mountains, the Great Plains, the Gulf coastal plain, and the nearby Sonoran desert.  The park has had sightings of everything from White-tailed deer to Jaguars.  For those more interested in greener climes, the Chisos mountains rise in the center of the park and have unique plants and trees growing on them.

Take a look a the news link for some pictures, even if you don't read the article.