Shield Ranch designated 20th International Dark Sky Place in Texas

Shield Ranch Barton Creek has been certified as an Urban Night Sky Place by nonprofit DarkSky International, meaning the 6,400-acre protected land minimizes light pollution despite being located nearby artificial lightning.

What it means

Shield Ranch joins the neighboring cities of Dripping Springs and Bee Cave as a designated dark sky place. The protected land is the state's 20th International Dark Sky Place.

Located 18 miles west of downtown Austin, Shield Ranch is a designated historic district and is comprised of 10% of the Barton Creek Watershed. The land is managed by the Shield, Ayres and Bowen families and the Shield Ranch Foundation. The foundation, established in 2008, has a mission of conservation and education.

Officials at Shield Ranch signed a Dark Skies Pledge and incorporated light fixtures that minimize light pollution in the ranch's 2018 master plan, according to a news release.

Quote of note

"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," Dark Sky Texas President Cindy Luongo Cassidy said in a news release.