20 Nebraskaland • April 2023
or lovers of solitude, it is hard to
imagine a better place to be. The
occasional howl of a coyote, hoot
of an owl, moos from cows. The
eerie sound of ice forming over a lake
on a cold December night. On occasion,
the quiet, but growing, roar of a truck's
engine advancing from miles away.
They are about the only things
reminding you that you are not
completely alone.
Perhaps it is what is seen that is most
magnifi cent about this place, though.
Look above to see the seemingly
endless array of stars in the sky, each
speck more than 20 trillion miles away.
Among them is that gorgeous, giant
swath known as the Milky Way.
The Nebraska Sandhills is this
place, and it is that great view of the
stars and other celestial bodies that, in
2022, garnered Merritt Reservoir State
Recreation Area a new designation as
an International Dark Sky Park to add
to its long list of attractive attributes.
It is the fi rst location in Nebraska to
earn the title from the International
Dark-Sky Association, the recognized
authority on light pollution, putting
it in company with some of America's
most breathtaking national and state
parks.
All one has to do is look at one of
the dark sky maps on the Internet to
realize why. They show almost the
entire United States east of Columbus
and Norfolk to the nation's coast lit
up with varying degrees of intensely
bright colors, which represent the
severity of light pollution. Throughout
the West, though, about 10 sizable
expanses show up dark on the map.
The easternmost of them is the
Nebraska Sandhills.
Even though the designation is
new, the exceptional view of the
night sky at Merritt Reservoir has not
F
The Milky Way rises above a camper
in the Beed's Landing campground at
Merritt.
Nikon D850, 15mm, f/2.8, 25 seconds,
ISO 4000.
ERIC FOWLER, NEBRASKALAND
