LANSING — Have you ever seen the Milky Way?

What about the Northern Lights? A growing number of people have never seen these features because the skies over them are simply not dark enough.

A 2016 study found that an estimated 80% of people in North America can’t see the Milky Way from where they live.

While many people associate light pollution with big cities, in reality it’s nearly everywhere -even the remote forests of the Upper Peninsula.

DarkSky International – an organization that promotes dark skies and designates international dark sky parks – defines light pollution as “the human-made alteration of outdoor light levels from those occurring naturally.”

Like other kinds of pollution, light has a wide range of effects on people, plants, animals and the environment.

It’s most prevalent in cities and can come from many sources, including streetlamps, sports complexes, cars and building lights.

In recent years, scientists have found that light pollution contributes to adverse health conditions, including insomnia and depression, leading to a growing initiative to combat the problem. 

One solution is establishment of dark sky parks or preserves. These are naturally dark areas, often on public land, that offer exceptional views of unpolluted skies.

The parks are popular destinations for astrotourism which is also a growing activity — particularly in the UP where the state’s darkest skies are found.

So where are Michigan’s dark sky parks?

All in the Lower Peninsula.

The original law established the first dark sky park at the Lake Hudson Recreation Area in Lenawee County. Since then, five other state dark sky parks have been established at Negwegon State Park in Alcona County, Port Crescent State Park in Huron County, Wilderness State Park in Emmet County and Rockport Recreation Area and Thompson’s Harbor State Park, both in Presque Isle County.

In 2012, the law was updated and amended. One amendment says that “a dark sky preserve shall not be established in the Upper Peninsula” on state-owned land.

That legislation recently gained interest when the Protect the Porkies campaign proposed making a beloved UP state park, the UP’s Porcupine Mountains, Michigan’s largest state park, , an official dark sky park. 

The Keweenaw Dark Sky Park in the Western UP, it’s privately owned and received its dark sky status through DarkSky International rather than the state

“Protect the Porkies started as a peoples’ campaign to resist the development of a copper sulfide mine proposed to be built next to the Porcupine Mountain State Park,” says Tom Grotewohl, who lives just outside the park and is the founder of the campaign.

In the early days of the project, Grotewohl and others reached out to the Department of Natural Resources about establishing the Porcupine Mountains as a dark sky park or preserve.

Officially designating “The Porkies” – as the park is nicknamed — would ensure the area is protected from the effects of light pollution.

However, the group was shocked to find that a decade-old law prevents that from happening, he said. “We were very surprised to receive the response that there is a state statute which says dark sky preserves are prohibited in the Upper Peninsula.”

As stargazing guides will tell you, the UP has some of the best places in Michigan to see the Milky Way and the Northern Lights.

The website of Pure Michigan, the state’s official travel and tourism promotion agency, agrees, saying, “The Upper Peninsula in particular, offers perfect stargazing conditions.”

“It just seems absurd that the state is actively promoting astrotourism at the same time as limiting dark sky preserves in the Upper Peninsula where the skies are the best for astrotourism,” Grotewohl said. 

Protect the Porkies started a petition to remove the ban on UP parks which over 3,000 people have signed.

Rep. Julie Brixie, D-Meridian Township, offered a possible reason for the ban. “Snowmobile or quad traffic at night was probably the motivator behind this.”

Another part of the 2012 amendment stated that the use of recreational vehicles cannot be restricted in dark sky parks. Snowmobiling and outdoor recreation are large industries in the UP.

However, because the 2012 amendment protects snowmobile traffic, “it seems like it would be okay to allow a dark sky preserve to be made in the UP,” says Brixie.

Brixie is familiar with the history of the amendment and says she plans to introduce a bill to change the ban.

Our nights are only getting brighter. Globally, light pollution is increasing by about 10% per year, according to a 2023 study.

“The good thing about light pollution is it’s entirely reversible,” says Grotewohl.

“Any city in the Upper Peninsula or around Michigan can change the way they do their lighting, and that would already change drastically the quality of the night sky in the city and in the surrounding areas,” says Grotewohl.

He argues that it’s best to be proactive when protecting dark skies. “The longer we wait, the more degraded that night skies will be when we finally decide to protect them.”

As he puts it: “We don’t wait until we’re in the middle of a parking lot before we talk about protecting the forest.”