AUSTIN  – Shield Ranch Barton Creek was officially certified as an Urban Night Sky Place by DarkSky International, joining three neighboring designated Dark Sky Places: Dripping Springs and Bee Cave, which are both International Dark Sky Communities, as well as Travis County Milton Reimers Ranch Park, which is an International Dark Sky Park.

“Shield Ranch is Texas’s 20th International Dark Sky Place certified in the International Dark Sky Places program. In addition to three Developments of Distinction, there are now 23 internationally recognized sites in the state that have gone above and beyond in the pursuit of improving light pollution and educating the public about the importance of dark sky conservation. It is exciting to see how much the dark sky movement has grown in the state, especially in such a rapidly growing area,” said Amber Harrison, International Dark Sky Places program manager.

Shield Ranch is located on the eastern edge of the Texas Hill Country, just 18 miles west of downtown Austin. It is a 6,400-acre nationally designated historic district and protected wildland comprising 10% of the Barton Creek watershed. Fred and Vera Shield of San Antonio purchased the property in 1938 and the land continues to be stewarded by the Shield/Ayres/Bowen family and the Shield Ranch Foundation.

Through an evolving program of land stewardship, four generations of the family have gradually restored the ranch to a mosaic of habitats that today is home to a diverse community of native plants and animals, according to a news release.

Shield Ranch is sustainably managed for the benefit of people and nature. To support the ambitious land management program, the ranch partners with conservation organizations, universities and governmental entities. It is protected in perpetuity by two conservation easements held by The Nature Conservancy and the city of Austin. The easements preclude commercial development, while allowing traditional agricultural and recreational activities and limited development within strict parameters for a small number of family residences, ecotourism activities and facilities for nonprofit and community group use.

The owners and managers of Shield Ranch understand the ways well-managed rangelands benefit a rapidly growing region, providing water and air quality, wildlife habitat, scenic vistas and access to natural areas both during the daytime and at night.

“As advocates for wildlife conservation, we understand the importance of reducing outdoor lighting to reduce harmful impacts to wildlife, including migrating birds, as well as moths and other insects that are active at night,” said Robert Ayres, co-owner of Shield Ranch.

“We look forward to joining other Dark Sky Places in the region,” said Blake Murden, CEO of the Shield Land Stewardship Group. “Shield Ranch will serve as a model to support and increase the number of dark sky initiatives in the area.”

Becoming a Dark Sky Place allows for not only sharing the pristine nature that exists at the ranch during the daytime, but also its natural nocturnal environment with visitors, the release continued.

The Shield Ranch Foundation was established in 2008 with the mission to steward and share the ranch in ways that educate, inspire and transform. In fall 2022, the Campsite at Shield Ranch opened to provide award-winning facilities for Camp El Ranchito, a scholarship-based overnight camp, and to host community groups for both day and overnight use, offering immersive nature programs for all ages.

Night sky education ranges from public events to incorporating dark sky education at Camp El Ranchito (4th-12th graders). Established in 2007, El Ranchito consistently provides campers with the opportunity to experience a dark night sky and night sky education. All year long, the Campsite at Shield Ranch (a sustainably built off-grid facility) welcomes community group use and hosts events. The campsite staff offer nature-based experiences and among these, night sky and dark sky education.

In response to a Hill Country Alliance initiative to promote dark skies, Shield Ranch signed a Dark Skies Pledge. In the Shield Ranch 2018 Master Plan, dark sky-compliant fixtures were included in the design guidelines and performance metrics for structures built for the Campsite, as well as any buildings to be constructed in the future. Shield Ranch conducted a thorough outdoor lighting inventory and staff worked to retrofit outdoor lighting, which resulted in 89% compliance at the time of application.

The ranch also installed a permanent night sky quality monitoring station. The monitoring station participates in the Hays County Friends of the Night Sky “Sky Quality Meter Network,” taking nightly sky quality readings every 15 minutes. Measurements will contribute to the Globe at Night Monitoring and the Dark Sky Texas Sky Quality Monitoring networks.

“Their longstanding commitment to protect the nocturnal environment and to share the reasons and methods to control light pollution position them to be ideal candidates to be designated an International Dark Sky Place,” said Cindy Luongo Cassidy, president of Dark Sky Texas.