Party Under the Stars - Sun, Aug 31 2008

Party Under the Stars (8/31/2008)

PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED: Once you've reviewed the event details, and decided you'd like to join us, you MUST sign up at the bottom of this page.

You are STRONGLY encouraged to read this page in its entirety before signing up. If you'd like to attend, we ask that you abide by our rules and procedures as a time/cost saving process (with an end result of keeping membership free and lower cost events).

The Basics:

Event Type:

Learn

Event Location:

Astotin Lake area, Elk Island National Park

Date(s) & Time:

Sun, Aug 31 2008 3:00 PM (Carpool Departure: 2:00 PM *log in for location*)

Registration Cut Off:

Sat, Aug 30 2008 6:00:00 PM

Event Duration:

Up to 9 hours

Difficulty Rating:

D1: Easy

Event Coordinator(s):

Ryan
You must be logged in to get the Event Coordinator contact information.

Member Cost:

Voluntary Donation Only (See Below)

Participant Info:

Who's Invited:

Members Only, All - DO NOT USE

Maximum Group Size:

Minimum Group Size:

Number Registered So Far:

5 (To see who's signed up, log in to the Member Area)

Are Dogs Permitted:

Itinerary:

Did you know that Elk Island National Park was recently designated as part of a dark sky preserve? The Beaver Hills Preserve is a 300 square kilometre region, and includes Elk Island National Park and the Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area.

Staff of Elk Island National Park and special guests are hosting a special event to celebrate the establishment of the dark sky preserve, which celebrates its second anniversary on the Labour day weekend. There will be a number of presentations about astronomy, guided hikes, and potential opportunities to do outdoor stargazing with astronomers! Telescopes owned by the Royal Astronomical Society - Edmonton (RASC) and by Parks Canada will be set up and available for public observing. The outdoor activities will obviously be dependent on the weather conditions, but the organizers plan for the indoor presentations to happen rain or shine.

The full list of activities for the day is available on the Elk Island National Park website.

Note: Unlike the recent Stargazing and Meteor Watching event, I am not making arrangements for group camping for this event. If the weather is clear and we are able to stargaze, we will likely return to Edmonton by approximately 1 AM.

If the weather cooperates and we are able to participate in some of the stargazing, it would be a good idea to bring warm clothing, including a jacket, hat and gloves. It can get really chilly late in the evening, even in the early autumn.

Required Items to Bring:
- National parks pass or money for entry ($7.80)
- Picnic food, or cash to purchase light meals from the Elk Island Golf Course Clubhouse

Recommended Items to Bring:
Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need.
- Flashlight that produces red light
- Binoculars
- Star Chart
- Warm, layered clothing (jacket, hat, gloves/mittens)

How to Get There:

Event Directions:

Take the Yellowhead Highway east out of Edmonton. Travel east on Highway 16/Yellowhead approximately 20km past Ardrossen. Turn left to enter the park. Follow the main road through the park to Astotin Lake.

Carpool to Event Distance (round trip):

85Km

Carpool Departure Time:

2:00 PM

Carpool Location:

Carpool Directions:

Carpool Cost:

The event coordinator(s) will help you to arrange a centralized carpool if you require it, but it's not guaranteed. Please DO NOT pay your driver en route. Passengers will pay the coordinator, and he/she will distribute the money to the carpool drivers. SO PLEASE BRING CASH!!! Approximate vehicle expense for this event is $24.65 (calculated at total Km * $0.29, effective Monday, April 29, 2024). This is based on $0.09/Km for maintenance, plus current gas price divided by 9. This cost will be multiplied by the number of carpooled cars, and divided by the number of carpool participants.

Notes:

- We encourage all members to follow our Etiquette Guidelines at all times while participating in EOC events.
- Please scroll through and read the entire online waiver when you sign up.
- Details of this event are subject to undergo a change at any point in time, with or without warning.

Voluntary Donation: ( What is this?)
Suggested donation amount for this event is: $2.00/Person.

Cancellation/Partial Attendance:
Please review our Cancellation Policy carefully!