Beaver Hills Dark Sky PreserveOn Sunday, September 2, Miquelon Lake Provincial Park hosted the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve 7th annual event, with Guest Speaker Dr. Jaymie Matthews.
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Beaver Hills Dark Sky PreserveThank you for supporting your local national park by purchasing an entry pass at the park gates and campground kiosk. The event is free for all visitors with a valid park pass.
On the Labour Day weekend join us for our annual celebration of the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve (BHDSP) hosted by:
Sunday, September 4th marks the fifth anniversary of the creation of the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve.
Outdoor activities include public stargazing with astronomers using a variety of telescopes, and children’s activities.
Indoor activities include a photography workshop, astronomical presentations, interpretative programs and red light flashlight assembly. Please join us as we welcome our new partner, Miquelon Lake Provincial Park, into the BHDSP.
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Beaver Hills Dark Sky PreserveThank you for supporting your local national park by purchasing an entry pass at the park gates and campground kiosk. The event is free for all visitors with a valid park pass.
On the Labour Day weekend join us for our annual celebration of Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve (BHDSP) hosted by
Sunday, September 5th marked the fourth anniversary of the creation of the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve. The BHDSP welcomed our new partner, Sherwood Fish and Game: Ketchamoot Creek Recreation and Conservation Area, into the BHSDP.
Outdoor activities included public stargazing with astronomers using a variety of telescopes, children’s activities, an unveiling ceremony, and guided hikes. Indoor activities included astronomical presentations and making red light flashlights.
Beaver Hills Dark Sky PreserveThe Royal Astronomical Society of Canada; Parks Canada Agency; Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation and Culture; and Strathcona County welcomed the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage into the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve partnership protecting the night-time environment for all life in the region. The Labour Day weekend marked the third anniversary of the declaration of the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve. Come and celebrate with us!
Indoor theatre presentations featured guest speaker Peter Strasser – International Dark Sky Association from Tucson, AZ; Dr Douglas P Hube – ‘The Nearest Star’; and presentations from the local astronomy community. Two special interpretive theatre shows for families – AcroBATS and Galileo’s House Arrest were performed by provincial and national parks staff.
Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserveby Bruce McCurdy
Two years after its declaration in 2006, Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve continues to thrive and grow. On August 31 an anniversary celebration “Party under the Stars”; was held at the Astotin Lake Campground in Elk Island National Park.
The highlight of this year’s event was the inclusion of another partner, Strathcona Wilderness Centre, to the expanding DSP. With this latest addition, Beaver Hills becomes the first DSP in Canada to involve three levels of government: Federal, Provincial, and Municipal. This cooperative status will facilitate important dialog within and among these groups, and with RASC.
Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserveby Sherrilyn Jahrig & Richard Huziak
The first anniversary celebration of the signing of the Beaver Hills Dark-Sky Preserve declaration was held in Central Alberta at Elk Island National Park, on September 2, 2007. Whereas the RASC Edmonton Centre did the majority of organizing for last year’s inaugural event: ”Many Cultures, One Sky’; Parks Canada staff did most of the organizing for 2007. The event was well attended with several hundred guests, a lower key event compared to last year’s gate count of over 2,500!
Alberta Parks participated this year with a constellation/star-lore presentation. In January 2008, Alberta Parks will be introducing a BHDSP Provincial Initiative in Astronomy and Dark Sky Preservation Education available to elementary schools. “D.S.I.: Dark Sky Investigators” includes a theatre performance, classroom component and field trip centered on astronomy and preservation of the nocturnal environment.
Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserveby Bruce McCurdy
A partnership among Parks Canada (Elk Island National Park), Alberta Parks and Protected Areas (Cooking Lake/Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area), and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve (DSP) was officially declared on September 3, 2006 at Elk Island’s “Celebration of the Century”, marking the hundredth anniversary of Canada’s first game preserve and still Canada’s only fenced national park.
In addition to the entirety of Elk Island National Park, which contains about 196 square kilometres, Beaver Hills DSP also encompasses Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area for a total protected area of some 293 square km. Both the Elk Island National Park and the Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area were shared recipients of the RASC Dark Sky Preserve Award.