The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is known for its gorgeous outdoors, with such famous sights include Pictured Rocks, Tahquamenon Falls, and Lake of the Clouds. But prettier than all of those is the U.P.’s incredible night sky.
The peninsula boasts one of the darkest skies in the eastern U.S. and is a hub for stargazing. Yet despite this beauty, there are no dark sky preserves on public land there. The reason why is shocking: These preserves are actually illegal on state land in the U.P.
But one group is trying to change that. Protect the Porkies is an environmental group in the U.P. that mainly focuses on protecting the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. They worked hard to stop a proposed copper mine next to the Porcupine Mountains that they believe would irreparably damage the park. But they are also leading the charge on repealing the ban on public dark sky preserves in the Upper Peninsula.
To find out why and learn more about the situation, I spoke with Tom Grotewohl, founder of Protect the Porkies.
Protect the Porkies was founded in June 2023 out of concern for the Copperwood Mine, a copper sulfide mine which will be situated right next to the state park. Grotewohl became interested in dark sky preserves after researching more about the park and learning about its outstanding night skies. The organization was surprised to learn that there was no dark sky preserve close to the park, even though there is no artificial light pollution within miles of the Porcupine Mountains.
They reached out to the DNR and were told that, in the U.P, these parks are not permitted on public land. While there is one dark sky preserve on private land in the Keweenaw Peninsula, there are none on public land. The reason for this prohibition is that U.P. lawmakers were and still are worried today that dark sky preserves could prevent the establishment of new mining operations in the Upper Peninsula.
Grotewohl calls this a “completely absurd prohibition,” because mines can easily become dark sky complaint if they follow a few simple rules. These preserves do not completely prevent or prohibit light pollution. The only requirement is downward facing lights within the preserve.
Grotewohl is also quick to point out that darker skies could be a great boon to the local economy. Stargazing is best in the winter due to clearer skies, and so a well-maintained place for stargazing could create sustainable tourism in the winter, boosting the economy of the Western U.P. in a season where there are typically few tourists.
As an example of the potential benefits, Grotewohl points to Flagstaff, Arizona. Even though Flagstaff has a population of approximately 77,000 people, the Milky Way is visible from downtown. The whole city has been designated as a Dark Sky Place by the International Dark Sky Association. This showcases how preserves can even be incorporated in local towns and cities with little disruption to citizens.
In essence, the ban on dark sky preserves makes no sense. Mines can easily comply without impacting their operation. In exchange, the surrounding area receives a huge benefit in terms of year-round tourism. And, every Michigander gets the ability to see the stars, planets, Milky Way, Aurora Borealis, and other beauties of the night sky.
Jack Ducote is a writer who loves fishing, hunting, the outdoors, and of course, Michigan. He writes under Hemlock Hobo on Substack.
