About Us

The Dark Sky Cooperative is a partnership-driven effort dedicated to protecting natural night skies, supporting dark-sky stewardship, and helping communities and partners realize the educational, cultural, recreational, and economic value of darkness. Today, the Cooperative operates across geographic boundaries under a shared vision: Under One Sky.

Our Story

The Dark Sky Cooperative began as two separate place-based collaboratives: the Colorado Plateau Dark Sky Cooperative and the Basin and Range Dark Sky Cooperative. Both were originally supported by the Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division of the National Park Service, which helped build early momentum for collaborative, landscape-scale approaches to dark-sky conservation.

Over time, the Colorado Plateau Dark Sky Cooperative’s leadership transitioned to the University of Utah, where it operated for several years and continued to build relationships around conservation, outreach, and dark-sky education.

In 2021, both cooperatives transitioned to the Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism at Utah State University. That transition created a more stable long-term home for the work and aligned dark-sky conservation with broader efforts in outdoor recreation, tourism, and sustainable community development.

In 2026, the Institute joined the two cooperatives into a single Dark Sky Cooperative that now works across landscapes, sectors, and jurisdictions. Rather than being defined by a single geography, the Cooperative now operates with a broader identity and mission—connecting partners and communities under one sky.

Timeline

Timeline of the evolution of the Dark Sky Cooperative

Why Utah State University?

The transition to Utah State University created an opportunity to place dark-sky work within a setting that is collaborative, research-oriented, and deeply connected to rural communities and public-land issues. Stakeholders involved in the transition saw strong alignment between dark skies and the Institute’s work in outdoor recreation and tourism, especially around the challenge of expanding tourism without compromising the very qualities that make places special.

The transition also increased the Cooperative’s long-term capacity by providing access to university infrastructure, staff support, stronger fundraising potential, and a more sustainable organizational home. These advantages were seen as essential to helping the Cooperative grow, build partnerships, and deliver on its promise over time.

Today, the Cooperative continues to build on that foundation by linking conservation, education, research, tourism, and community development through a single shared platform.

Photograph from inside an observatory

Leadership

The Dark Sky Cooperative is led by a small team housed within the Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism at Utah State University.

Troy Allan

Dark Sky Cooperative Coordinator

Troy Allan serves as the Coordinator of the Dark Sky Cooperative. He helps guide the Cooperative’s educational programming, partnership development, communications, and day-to-day coordination across projects and initiatives.

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Jordan W. Smith

Lead PI

Jordan W. Smith serves as Lead Principal Investigator for the Dark Sky Cooperative. He provides strategic direction for the Cooperative’s research, partnership development, and long-term integration with the Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism.

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