Michigan’s second internationally-recognized dark sky park would be added to the list of the state’s dark sky preserves under legislation passed in the Michigan House Tuesday.

House Bill 4740, sponsored by Rep. Aaron Miller, R-Sturgis, would officially designate Dr. T. K. Lawless Park in Cass County as a dark sky preserve in the state’s Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. The bill passed 106-1.

The 820-acre county park was recently named an International Dark Sky Park by the International Dark-Sky Association, a distinction given to locations that offer stellar views of the solar system.

Michigan’s other International Dark Sky Park is Headlands Dark Sky Park in Mackinaw City. The state currently has designated dark sky preserves in six state-owned parks:

Lake Hudson Recreation Area in Lenawee County

Negwegon State Park in Alcona County

Port Crescent State Park in Huron County

Rockport Recreation Area in Presque Isle County

Thompson’s Harbor State Park in Presque Isle County

Wilderness State Park in Emmet County

Dr. T. K. Lawless Park would be the first locally-operated dark sky preserve on Michigan’s list.

Michigan was the first state in the country to declare public land a dark sky preserve with the designation of Lake Hudson Recreation Area in 1993, according to the nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency.

Dark sky areas must meet specific standards with light pollution and give observers an unaltered view of the night sky.

To learn more about Michigan’s dark sky preserves and International Dark Sky Parks, visit the Department of Natural Resources website.

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