State of The Rockies
2026 Conservation in the West Poll
Dark Skies Over Bears Ears
Valley of the Gods, Utah
This photo was taken late at night in the middle of the desert. Over the Fourth of July, I traveled to Southeast Utah to interview people and take some final light readings in Blanding and Monticello Utah while working for the State of the Rockies Project Dark Skies Team. The whole summer I had been trying to get a reading within the "no visible light" range. This night I was able to do so. It was so dark that my light meter didn't even work, but once I switched out my lens to a fisheye, the whole sky appeared on my camera in front of me. For me, this image represents something I had been looking for all summer. I had heard people speak about the sky in Bears Ears and why it was so worth protecting, but to see the stars for myself was something else entirely.
Photo by Megan O'Brien, '25
16TH ANNUAL SURVEY RESULTS
National Press Release
Spanish Access Press Release
February 18, 2026 Poll Presentation
Interview Schedules
Instant Access: 16 years of Rockies poll data made visual
TOPIC REPORTS
Climate Change and the West
Conservation and Public Lands
Conservation in the West
Energy and Public Lands
Gen Z in the West
Water in the West
Wildlife in the West
Black Voters
Latin American Voters
Native American Voters
The Poll in Action
"The stars are very important to us [...] as important as wearing clean socks every day."
- Roger Harrison, Motel Employee | Monticello, Utah
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Last updated: 03/08/2026