About Aaron Watson

Aaron Watson is the Board Chair and Chapter Director of IDA Colorado.  He works for Solar Energy International, and lives in Paonia, Colorado. He has been a member of IDA Colorado since 2018 and served as the Western Colorado Regional Coordinator until joining the Board as chair in 2022.  To IDA Colorado he brings a background in engineering and environmental science, and experience working with nonprofits.

Aaron’s dark-sky advocacy includes work with “Dark Skies Paonia” toward getting a Dark Sky Community recognition for the town of Paonia, and a number of other dark-sky certification efforts in Colorado. 

He enjoys stargazing, riding his electric bicycle year round, and playing music with his friends. He likes finding special astronomical alignments, and is author and photographer of an annual lunar astronomical events calendar.

Aaron likes to remember his experience working with the town of Paonia and the local utility to choose a responsible, low-color-temperature option for replacing the town’s streetlights.