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VANDALIA — Cass County Parks’ Dark-Sky campaign can add another win to its count.

Recently, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed House Bill 4740 into law, which makes Dr. T.K. Lawless Park, located on Monkey Run Road in Vandalia, a Michigan Dark-Sky Preserve.

“We tried to amend an act that was already on the books in Michigan,” said Robert Parrish, an Edwardsburg resident and Cass County Parks Board member who has been driving the county’s Dark-Sky campaign. “That act allowed the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to designate lands under its care dark sky preserves. … We tried to amend that so Lawless Park could be a part of that even though it is a county park, not a state park.”

The announcement comes after the park was labeled an International Dark-Sky Park in January by the International Dark-Sky Association. Though Parrish said being named a Dark-Sky Park is more complicated than becoming a Dark Sky Preserve and requires more stringent requirements, including achieving Dark-Sky friendly lighting, advocating for the protection of the night sky, having appropriate light readings and more, he was still excited for to have House Bill 4740, which amends a 1994 Public Act, passed.

Despite being named a state Dark-Sky preserve, Dr. T.K. Lawless Park will not fall under DNR jurisdiction and will remain under Cass County control.

Parrish said being named a Michigan Dark-Sky Preserve will give Dr. T.K. Lawless Park several advantages, including

“We want that Michigan name associated with the park,” Parrish said. “We hope this will encourage more tourism to the park by tapping into the ‘Pure Michigan’ branding.”

For Parrish, getting House Bill 4740 signed was a process that lasted more than a year and required working with several legislators, including Reps. Aaron Miller and Brad Paquette and Sen. Kim LaSata, all of whom he said were helpful and championed his cause in Lansing. As part of the process, Parrish also had to testify in front of the House Recreation Committee last December.

“It was a little nerve-wracking, but I think I did well,” Parrish recalled. “I never thought I would be doing things like this [when I started the Dark-Sky campaign]. It has really blossomed along the way. It has been a team effort and a lot more work than I realized when I started.”

Despite the hard work involved, Parrish said it was worth it for both the preservation of the night sky and to honor the memory of his late father, who shared Parrish’s love of the stars.

“I’m feeling really good about where we are [with the campaign],” Parrish said.

Going forward, Parrish said he hopes Dr. T.K. Lawless Park’s journey with House Bill 4740 can serve as a road map for other counties who want their parks to be named Michigan Dark-Sky Preserves.

“In the long run, I’m hoping other county parks can look at that and shoot for the same goal,” he said. “It’s a precedent for them to look at and say, ‘hey, we would like to do the same thing.’”

Dr. T.K. Lawless Park was previously scheduled to host a grand opening ceremony to celebrate its new Dark-Sky status this month. The event has been postponed due to COVID-19 mandates. Parrish said the Cass County Parks Board would be updating the public on a potentially rescheduled grand opening once social distancing mandates are lifted.