Abstract: With an annual visitation of 4.6 million visitors and evening skies dark enough to clearly see the milky way, Zion National Park has ample opportunity to informally educate park visitors about Astronomy through ranger-led programs. Ranger programs are a cornerstone of Zion National Park’s approach to educating the public on how to care for their national parks, and the National Park Service refers to this type of informal education as interpretation. Zion National Park’s commitment to providing dark sky interpretation to park visitors was formalized when Zion was designated an International Dark Sky Park in 2021. From 2021-2023, Zion provided occasional Dark Sky programing to the public, but these programs were neither consistent nor sustainable. In the winter of 2024, Zion partnered with the Scientists in Parks internship program, funded through a grant from the Zion Forever Project, to formalize a plan for the future of consistent and effective dark sky programing in Zion. The major points that were investigated were: the best types of programs to offer, what time of year to offer programs, and an implementation plan. The work done this winter gave the park a clear plan for the future of dark sky interpretation in Zion National Park and presented a novel approach to developing new dark sky interpretation and education.
