I was born and raised in a dark sky environment. Stars were always bright and vivid growing up on a farm. I remember hearing stories of people living in cities who have never seen the stars, I still think it’s hard to believe. To the west of us you could see on the horizon a yellow glow from the City of Calgary just one hours drive away. On a clear night you might even be able to see a faint glow from the City of Lethbridge just one hour and twenty minutes away. Checking for new born calves each night or harvesting crops offered a regular spectacle of our night sky. Forty years later those soft glows have grown in size along with the increased infrastructure around us.
Early into our development plans we reached out to the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC). We were interested in marketing to their members and like minded people who appreciate our night sky. We later had a visit by some RASC organizers who were instantly impressed with our unobstructed view of the southern horizon.
Nearly five years following that visit, from September 6th to the 8th A Stones Throw RV Campground was the chosen location for the RASC 38th Annual Star Party. Nearly 100 people attended the event along with 30 campsites filled with tents, RVs, and incredible telescopes. The level of technology and investment was staggering, the passion was infectious. Astronomers were happy to talk about what they were observing and how they were doing it, many guests were astounded by what they got to see; and not on television, in real life!
We were very impressed with our seasonal campground guests who were so eager to offer assistance and cooperate in turning the campground dark. Everyone shut off their solar lights, LED and outdoor decorations. Red film covered up lights inside and outside of buildings and RVs, even the faint green LED glow from surge protectors were covered up. It was dark, as dark as we have ever seen it (or could not see it as it was dark hehe).
We could not have done it ourselves, our seasonal guests, neighbours, the community, and our local oil & gas company Canadian Natural all shut off lights to help us achieve as dark of a sky as possible. A Huge Thank You to the Deitz Family, The Milo Fire Hall, and Canadian Natural for being so understanding and supportive of this ecotourism event. Members of the RASC could not believe that just one hour from south Calgary we could see the Milky Way from horizon to horizon.
A Stones Throw RV Campground would like to thank the RASC for giving us the opportunity to host this years event. It was a new experience for everyone involved and I think it went very well based on the comments from guests and RASC members. Are we going to host the 39th Annual Star Party? It is possible, but before committing we will be surveying our guests and getting their feedback on the event. Did they like it? Was it too much of a disruption to the peace and quiet they have become accustomed to? What could we have done differently? We do our best to communicate with guests of the campground and always appreciate their feedback whether it is good or bad. It all helps us to move forward.
