What’s it like to explore one of Alberta’s largest provincial parks at night, under a vast northern night sky?
On Saturday, Sept. 23, that’s what more than 100 people did at Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park as part of the first in-person Lakeland Dark Sky Celebration to be held since 2019. Churchill Park is located near the borders of Lakeland Provincial Park and Provincial Recreation Area, a vast recreation area that stretches across the Lakeland Region.
Just before sunset, a large group that included residents from across the Lakeland and the province, gathered outside the park amphitheatre for a guided night hike led by park officials.
While there were no encounters with any of the nocturnal wildlife known to inhabit the forests after dark, park interpreters told the tour about the nocturnal lives of owls, bats, bears, frogs, and wolves, The participants were also given the opportunity to engage in various activities such as listening to recorded sounds of animals as well as playing games, which were popular with the many children and youth who also came along for the night hike.
The evening of fun and exploration didn’t end once the hike had concluded. After returning to the amphitheatre, the group engaged in some stargazing, looking into the clear night sky through telescopes set up by the Edmonton chapter of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC).
Dan Hallett, a member of RASC, conducted a ‘sky tour’ in which those who attended the night event were taught about the stars, planets and events happening in space.
Hallett, who has been an amateur astronomer since his youth, explained that modern-sized telescopes are very effective at studying the night sky.
“It makes it such easier now…you can use a scope that does just about everything,” he stated.
Hallett continued by saying that looking out at the stars on a clear night is like viewing a window into time.
“I guess you could say it’s a time machine…billions of years back you’re looking at light coming at you,” he explained.
In addition to astronomy, there were plenty of activities inside the amphitheatre to keep everyone busy, including exhibits, children’s crafts, and games, as well as live musical entertainment provided by Brian Deheer and other local musicians.
Lakeland Provincial Park and Recreation Area was was designated as a Dark Sky Preserve in 2016, and the first night hike in the region took place in 2017 at Pinehurst Lake Provincial Park while the follow up in 2018 didn’t happen due to heavy rains. Shaw Lake Provincial Park was the site of the 2019 Lakeland Dark Sky Celebration, prior to a three-year hiatus in activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
There were many families with young children at the Lakeland Dark Sky Celebration, including Andrew Snook, his wife, Ginette, and their daughter, Elandra, who live near Plamondon. Snook stated that they wanted to enjoy a fun evening while giving Elandra a hands-on education about the stars.
“We actually home-school so we’re trying to teach her about astronomy and a few other things like that,” Snook said.
Jaclyn Denman, a visitor engagement specialist with Alberta Parks, said this is the first time that the stargazing component of the Lakeland Dark Sky Celebration has been held at Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park. Denman continued by saying that the annual event is important because it helps to build awareness about the Lakeland Dark Sky Preserve.
“With this one being the newest one added to Alberta…it’s kind of unique and it definitely is a little more out there for people to come to who might not typically live here,” said stated. “But it’s also something for the locals to build awareness about…because it’s something that’s really special that’s in their backyard.”
