In recognition of its stewardship of an often unheralded natural resource in Michigan – Michigan's night sky – the Headlands International Dark Sky Park in Mackinaw City was awarded the second annual Pure Award at the 2017 Pure Michigan Governor's Conference on Tourism last week in Detroit.

The Pure Award recognizes Michigan tourism entities that have pioneered innovative and exemplary best practices in natural, cultural and/or heritage stewardship into their daily operations and is a product of the Resources and Environment implementation committee of the 2012-2017 Michigan Tourism Strategic Plan.

Located in the northwestern Lower Peninsula, the Headlands in 2011 became one of the first 10 International Dark Sky Parks in the world. This prestigious designation was bestowed by the International Dark Sky Association after a rigorous application and review process. As a result, the Headlands will stay dark and protected, forever.

"The Headlands was selected as this year's winner based on the importance the park has put on the night sky as a vast and vanishing natural resource," said Maia Turek, co-chair of the Resources and Environment implementation committee. "Efforts like these are essential to today's global conversation about habitat protection, energy resource management and tourism."

The park is home to approximately 550 acres of pristine woodlands, more than 2 miles of undeveloped Lake Michigan shoreline and many species of rare and endangered plant life.

Turek added: "Our committee's goal is to put Michigan on an international stage by highlighting the efforts of our tourism industry to be stewards of our natural, cultural and heritage resources – making sure these tourism experiences stay pure for future generations."

The award itself varies each year to reflect the award winner. Created by glassblowers at The Henry Ford, this year's award is a stylized version of the Headlands Dark Sky logo. The award incorporates the North Star, with black representing the dark sky and the silver leaf embellishment representing the stars in the galaxy.

Headlands International Dark Sky Park is located at 15675 Headlands Road in Mackinaw City. Admission is free and the park is open 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. Learn more about this dark sky park at www.midarkskypark.org.

In addition to the Headlands, Michigan is home to six other Dark Sky Preserves and a number of dark sky events. Learn more about these dark sky opportunities at www.michigan.gov/darksky.

For more information about the 2012-2017 Michigan Tourism Strategic Plan, contact MSU faculty member Sarah Nicholls at nicho210@msu.edu.



Contact: Maia Turek (DNR), 989-225-8573 and Sarah Nicholls (MSU), 517 432 0319