Dark Sky Cooperative Educational Program
Quarterly Connections
A live webinar series connecting communities, agencies, businesses, researchers, educators, land managers, and advocates working to protect and celebrate natural night skies.
Learn
Practical dark-sky knowledge
Explore lighting practices, community designation, public safety, education, astrotourism, research, and stewardship strategies.
Connect
A regional learning network
Hear from peers, practitioners, researchers, and community leaders working across parks, towns, agencies, nonprofits, and businesses.
Act
Tools for shared stewardship
Leave with examples, recordings, and ideas that can support local action, partner conversations, and community-based night-sky protection.
A conversation series for people working under one sky.
Quarterly Connections brings together people working at the intersection of natural night, community planning, public lands, tourism, education, culture, public safety, and human well-being. Each session is designed to be practical, conversational, and useful for communities and organizations advancing dark-sky stewardship.
Browse the sessions below to revisit featured speakers and identify ideas that can support your own work.
Share YOUR KNOWLEDGE
If you do work on astrotourism, outdoor lighting, mental health, cultural connections, public safety, education, and dark-sky community support, we'd be happy to discuss the possibility of having you share your knowledge in an upcoming session.
Email Troy TodayUpcoming Quarterly Connection
From Dark Skies to Shared Futures
Using SciArt to Inspire Stewardship Through Art, Science, and Technology
Join the Dark Sky Cooperative for a conversation with Agnes Chavez, founder of STEMarts Lab, on how immersive SciArt experiences can help communities connect more deeply with dark sky conservation and our shared relationship to the cosmos.
Through projects such as AstroTour [AR], AstroTrail: Connecting Land, Earth, and Sky, and the international Space Messengers project, this session will explore how art, science, technology, storytelling, astronomy, citizen science, and place-based learning can inspire stewardship under one sky.
The session will also include remarks from Gina Pearson, STEMarts Lab’s Bureau of Land Management liaison for the AstroTrail project and a council member with DarkSky New Mexico. Gina will share perspectives on the connection between AstroTrail and the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument’s Dark Sky certification efforts.
Date & Time
July 8, 2026
11:00 AM MDT
Featured Speaker
Agnes Chavez
Founder, STEMarts Lab
With Remarks From
Gina Pearson
STEMarts Lab BLM Liaison, AstroTrail Project
Council Member, DarkSky New Mexico
Past Sessions
Browse the archive below to watch past sessions and identify topics, speakers, and examples that may be useful for your community, organization, agency, or business.
Session 13
Preparing for International Dark Sky Week: Community Engagement and Certification
March 18, 2026 | 1:00–2:30 p.m. MST
With International Dark Sky Week approaching, this session focused on ways communities, parks, and businesses can create meaningful experiences that encourage engagement and build commitment to protecting the night.
- Michael Rymer, Communities Program Manager, DarkSky International
Session 12
Professional Support for Dark Sky Communities Part 2: Who Can Benefit and How
December 3, 2025 | 12:00–1:30 p.m. MST
This session explored how communities, parks, and businesses can use professional support to advance dark-sky conservation, astrotourism, and economically sustainable night-sky protection.
- Dr. John Barentine, Principal Consultant, Dark Sky Consulting, LLC
Session 11
Professional Support for Dark Sky Communities Part 1: Finding Common Ground
September 3, 2025 | 12:00–1:30 p.m. MDT
This session focused on building community support, working with decision-makers, collecting useful data, using locally meaningful language, developing practical lighting codes, and improving public awareness.
- Hilary Lewkowitz, Colorado Tourism Office and Colorado Dark Sky Certification Mentor Program
- Katie Payer, Colorado Tourism Office
- Dr. Bill Kowalik, DarkSky Oregon
- Michael McKeag, DarkSky Oregon
Session 10
Dark Night Skies for Mental Health and Well-being
June 4, 2025 | 1:00–2:30 p.m. MDT
This session explored the relationship between darkness, the day-night cycle, reflection, rest, mental health, and lighting approaches that accommodate older eyes and people with impaired vision.
- Dr. Troy Allan, Utah State University
- Dr. Kate Magargal, University of Utah
- Eunice Noell-Waggoner, Center of Design for an Aging Society
Session 9
Balancing Outdoor Lighting for Public Safety and Night Sky Protection
March 5, 2025 | 1:00–2:00 p.m. MST
This session examined how communities can integrate public safety concerns with responsible outdoor lighting design to create safer, healthier, and more sustainable nighttime environments.
- Art Hushen, National Institute of Crime Prevention
- Dr. Bryan Boulanger, Ohio Northern University
Session 8
Cultural Connections with the Night Sky
December 4, 2024 | 1:00–2:00 p.m. MST
This session discussed how experiences, culture, values, and place-based perspectives shape relationships with dark night skies.
- Ben Rupert, Nevada's Indian Territory
- Ravis Henry, National Park Service, Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Session 7
Managing a Shared Resource: Working with Our Federal Partners
September 4, 2024 | 1:00–2:00 p.m. MDT
This session featured perspectives from federal partners and explored how public land entities, gateway communities, and nearby tribal nations can benefit from collaborative dark-sky stewardship.
- Matthias Schmitt, Cedar Breaks National Monument and Stargazing Zion
- Jennifer Rovanpera, Bureau of Land Management
Session 6
Outdoor Lighting Part 2: Policies and Implementation
June 5, 2024 | 1:00–2:00 p.m. MDT
Community leaders, planners, and business owners shared first-hand experiences developing effective outdoor lighting policies, identifying funding opportunities, and implementing lighting retrofit projects.
- Dr. Christian Luginbuhl, Flagstaff Dark Sky Coalition and Dark Sky Partners, LLC
- Cory Shurtleff, City of Moab
- Dr. Alexi Lamm, City of Moab
Session 5
Outdoor Lighting Part 1: Advancements in Technology, Planning, and Design
March 6, 2024 | 1:00–2:00 p.m. MST
This session highlighted recent advancements in outdoor lighting technology, planning, design, standards, lighting zones, and community-scale lighting projects.
- Ashley Pipkin, National Park Service
- Nancy Clanton, Clanton & Associates, Inc.
- Rick Utting, Clanton & Associates, Inc. and DarkSky International
Session 4
The Opportunity: Astrotourism
December 6, 2023 | 1:00–2:00 p.m. MST
This session focused on the research and practice behind astrotourism in gateway communities, including examples of local development projects and connections to statewide and regional tourism opportunities.
- Rich Csenge and Eric Sims, Stellar Vista Observatory
- Elizabeth Woolsey, Park to Park in the Dark and Stargazer Inn
- Hilary Sager, Travel Oregon
- Dr. David Mitchell, Missouri State University
Session 3
Education and Outreach/Advocacy
September 6, 2023 | 1:00–2:00 p.m. MDT
This session discussed partnerships, community-engaged learning, rural outreach, dark-sky education, and local advocacy in gateway towns and rural communities.
- Dr. Kate Magargal, University of Utah
- Dr. Samuel Singer, Wyoming Stargazing
Session 2
Economic Development Opportunities
June 7, 2023 | 1:00–2:00 p.m. MDT
This session explored how dark skies can help sustain outdoor-oriented lifestyles and support economic stability in communities throughout the region.
- Dr. Jordan W. Smith, Utah State University
- Dr. Emily J. Wilkins, U.S. Geological Survey
Session 1
Protecting the Night Sky
April 5, 2023 | 1:00–2:00 p.m. MDT
The kickoff session introduced the Cooperative, gathered stakeholder input on needs and concerns, and discussed why protecting natural night skies matters.
- Ruskin Hartley, International Dark-Sky Association