EBS STAFF
Montana’s Trail to the Stars, a project that brings skygazers to locations with low light pollution to view stars, received a national award for collaboration. The National Extension Tourism Conference presented Montana’s Trail to the Stars with the Excellence in Tourism Collaboration Award on Sept. 26.
Carla Hunsley, executive director of Montana’s Missouri River Country, and Brenda Maas, marketing director for Visit Southeast Montana, who headed the collaboration.
“Montana’s Trail to the Stars is part of a growing focus on astro tourism in Montana and around the world,” a press release from the collaboration stated. The system has more than 45 “dark sky” trails in eastern Montana that allow for optimal star visibility.
The trail began in 2022 with a collaboration between Montana’s Missouri River Country, Visit Southeast Montana and Central Montana Tourism. The project also received help from Montana State Parks, the Montana Department of Commerce and Montana-based marketing agency Windfall, Inc.
Among the dark sky destinations is Medicine Rocks State Park which is recognized internationally as a dark sky sanctuary. Dark sky sanctuaries conserve “starry sky parks, communities, and other places around the world,” according to the organization’s website.
