An area spanning more than 1,400 square miles in central Idaho has been designated as the nation’s first International Dark Sky Reserve. The International Dark-Sky Association announced the accreditation of the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve, the first of its kind in the United States and one of just 12 such reserves worldwide.

“The importance of today’s achievement to the dark-skies movement in the United States cannot be understated,” IDA Executive Director J. Scott Feierabend said. “Given the complexity of International Dark Sky Reserve nominations and the rigor of the protections that IDA requires for this honor, this is certainly a watershed moment in the history of American conservation.”