As far as I understand reading the article (and some Wiki pages around it), it seems to be a consortium of people trying to protect the dark night sky. However,

As far as I understand reading the article (and some Wiki pages around it), it seems to be a consortium of people trying to protect the dark night sky. However, this article hasn't made it clear if the 'sanctuary' implies it has got NPS or State's protection in reaching that objective. The sanctuary is a term which was introduced in the last decade, and with loose subjective definition > Sanctuaries are the most remote (and often darkest) places in the world whose conservation state is most fragile. > In 2015, the IDA introduced the term "Dark Sky Sanctuary" and designated the Elqui Valley of northern Chile as the world's first International Dark Sky Sanctuary. There are legally protected zones like mentioned in [1], but seem to cover smaller patches of area. But how is a sanctuary protected by legal enforceable measures isn't described in the same spirit. Probably this is something area experts & conservationists know better. The verbiage is at best a tad confusing IMHO. While places like Central Australia or South NZ is remote, Oregon outback is much more accessible. I'd wager Star valley is on similar league of being pristine and yet more remote being in WY. 1. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark-sky_preserve https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark-sky_preserve