Voyageurs National Park and others to offer a Boreal Stargazing Week
Feb 09, 2023 04:08PM ● By Content Editor
Photo: Thomas Ciszewski
From the National Park Service - February 7, 2023
Embrace the winter darkness and discover Minnesota's boreal skies. For generations, humans have looked to the stars for inspiration and connection. Located along the Minnesota-Canadian border is a rare sanctuary for starry skies. Voyageurs National Park and Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Northern Minnesota make up one of the largest Dark Sky Regions in the world.
The Boreal Stargazing Week celebrates the importance of dark skies through virtual school programs and community events. Friends of the Boundary Waters, Voyageurs Conservancy, Starry Skies North, and Voyageurs National Park are joining together to share boreal dark skies with visitors of all ages and backgrounds. Enjoy snowshoe programs, telescope sessions, and live conversations with amateur astronomers. Join us for free programs and discover the wildness above your head.
Learn more and register for an event near you at www.voyageurs.org/stargazing-week or www.friends-bwca.org/stargazing-week.
Community Programs – Nighttime Exploration Across Minnesota
Dark Sky Snowshoe Hike in Voyageurs National Park
Date: Sunday, February 19
Time: 6:00 pm
Location: Meet at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center
Join us for an evening snowshoe under the illuminating stars of Voyageurs National Park. Enjoy a tranquil guided hike on the Oberholtzer Trail (1.6 miles roundtrip) and stargaze in Minnesota's International Dark Sky park. Learn about the history of snowshoes, animal tracks ID, and dark sky preservation - all while enjoying the breathtaking cosmos above us. Voyageurs Conservancy will welcome you with a bonfire at the Oberholtzer Trailhead. Snowshoes will be available (free-of-charge) and no prior snowshoe experience is needed. This event is recommended for all ages and is free to attend. Space is limited. Please register and reserve snowshoes at: bit.ly/voyageurs-snowshoe-2-19
Dark Sky Snowshoe Hike in the Boundary Waters
Date: Friday, February 24
Time: 6:00 and 6:30 start time
Location: Hegman Lake, BWCA Entry Point 77, north of Ely, MN
Join friends, new and old, on an evening snowshoe into the world’s largest Dark Sky Sanctuary- the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Enjoy a roughly 5-mile (round trip) snowshoe hike while experiencing the grandeur of the universe above you. The Friends of the Boundary Waters will provide warm drinks in the parking lot as well as snowshoes for a limited number of folks who need to borrow them. Registration is required to reserve snowshoes. Stargazing can be done near the parking lot for people who want to enjoy the night sky but are unable to join the snowshoe. Open to folks of all ages, make sure to dress for the weather. Register at: https://friends-bwca.salsalabs.org/BWCASnowshoe/index.htm
lWinter Stargazing Event on Ice
Date: Friday, February 24
Time: 5:00 – 6:00 pm ski & 7:00 – 8:00 pm stargazing
Location: Black Bay Ski Trail parking lot, International Falls, MN
Voyageurs National Park has partnered with the PolarPolars Ski Club, Voyageurs Conservancy, and Astro Bob to bring you the first Annual Winter Stargazing Event on Ice. From 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm the PolarPolars will offer a ski on Rainy Lake. Meet at the Black Bay Ski Trail parking lot and join the group to travel to the designated groomed ski area where you can view the setting sun on skis with friends. While warming up at a fire, let your eyes adjust to the night sky and then from 7:00 to 8:00 pm Astro Bob King will share stories of the stars and help you in identifying the night sky with the naked eye and via telescopes. Hot cocoa and a warm fire will be going throughout the event. Bring your skis or check some out prior to departure (free for the event) from the Rainy Lake Visitor Center. Registration for free ski equipment is required at: bit.ly/skiing-stargazing-2-24.
Film Screening & Social – Twin Cities
Northern Nights, Starry Skies Social & Screening
Date: Thursday, February 23
Time: Preview: 7:00 - 8:00 pm, Showing: 8:00 – 9:00 pm
Location: Sundin Music Hall, Hamline University, St. Paul, MN
Our star-bright northern skies are beckoning. The region has an extraordinary number of places where night skies are dark enough to be experienced in their full splendor. These designated Dark Sky places, recently sanctioned by the International Dark-Skies Association (IDA), are Voyageurs National Park, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and Ontario’s Quetico Provincial Park. Residents and visitors, hungry for renewal in nature and the timeless perspectives offered by dark nights and starlight, are drawn to these special places. Co-produced with Hamline University’s Center for Global Environmental Education, in this documentary, we explore the movement to reduce light pollution and celebrate Dark Sky places, Indigenous star knowledge, and our stewardship of the night sky.
School Programs – Night Sky Experiences for K-12
StudentsBoreal Stargazing Virtual Student Experiences
Dates: Tuesday, February 21 - Friday, February 24
Location: Virtual
Bring your students out of their desk and into the largest International Dark Sky region in the world - right here in Minnesota. By signing up for the Boreal Stargazing Week, your classroom will receive FREE live virtual programs from Voyageurs National Park, Voyageurs Conservancy, and Friends of the Boundary Waters on the wonders of dark skies. Students will learn about these protected lands, the importance of dark skies, and how they can protect them. Programs will be live streamed directly to the classroom. Teachers will also receive the recorded sessions if they cannot attend the live programs. For more information and registration visit: bit.ly/stargazing-week
Dark Sky STEM Challenge in Voyageurs National Park
Tuesday, February 21st
12pm CT, Virtual Program
Boreal Wonders in the Boundary Waters
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
1:00 PM CT, Virtual Program
Protect the Night: Light Pollution with Voyageurs Conservancy and “Astro” Bob
Friday, February 24, 2023
1:00 PM CT, Virtual Program
Boreal Stargazing Week programs will be live-streamed directly to your classroom from Tuesday, February 21 - Friday, February 24, 2023! Teachers will also receive the recorded sessions if they cannot attend the live programs. Learn more and register at: bit.ly/stargazing-week
Boreal Stargazing Week is hosted by Voyageurs Conservancy, Friends of the Boundary Waters, Starry Skies North, Expeditions in Education, Voyageurs National Park, Superior National Forest, and Hamline University’s Center for Global Environmental Education.
From the National Park Service - February 7, 2023
Embrace the winter darkness and discover Minnesota's boreal skies. For generations, humans have looked to the stars for inspiration and connection. Located along the Minnesota-Canadian border is a rare sanctuary for starry skies. Voyageurs National Park and Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Northern Minnesota make up one of the largest Dark Sky Regions in the world.
The Boreal Stargazing Week celebrates the importance of dark skies through virtual school programs and community events. Friends of the Boundary Waters, Voyageurs Conservancy, Starry Skies North, and Voyageurs National Park are joining together to share boreal dark skies with visitors of all ages and backgrounds. Enjoy snowshoe programs, telescope sessions, and live conversations with amateur astronomers. Join us for free programs and discover the wildness above your head.
Learn more and register for an event near you at www.voyageurs.org/stargazing-week or www.friends-bwca.org/stargazing-week.
Community Programs – Nighttime Exploration Across Minnesota
Dark Sky Snowshoe Hike in Voyageurs National Park
Date: Sunday, February 19
Time: 6:00 pm
Location: Meet at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center
Join us for an evening snowshoe under the illuminating stars of Voyageurs National Park. Enjoy a tranquil guided hike on the Oberholtzer Trail (1.6 miles roundtrip) and stargaze in Minnesota's International Dark Sky park. Learn about the history of snowshoes, animal tracks ID, and dark sky preservation - all while enjoying the breathtaking cosmos above us. Voyageurs Conservancy will welcome you with a bonfire at the Oberholtzer Trailhead. Snowshoes will be available (free-of-charge) and no prior snowshoe experience is needed. This event is recommended for all ages and is free to attend. Space is limited. Please register and reserve snowshoes at: bit.ly/voyageurs-snowshoe-2-19
Dark Sky Snowshoe Hike in the Boundary Waters
Date: Friday, February 24
Time: 6:00 and 6:30 start time
Location: Hegman Lake, BWCA Entry Point 77, north of Ely, MN
Join friends, new and old, on an evening snowshoe into the world’s largest Dark Sky Sanctuary- the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Enjoy a roughly 5-mile (round trip) snowshoe hike while experiencing the grandeur of the universe above you. The Friends of the Boundary Waters will provide warm drinks in the parking lot as well as snowshoes for a limited number of folks who need to borrow them. Registration is required to reserve snowshoes. Stargazing can be done near the parking lot for people who want to enjoy the night sky but are unable to join the snowshoe. Open to folks of all ages, make sure to dress for the weather. Register at: https://friends-bwca.salsalabs.org/BWCASnowshoe/index.htm
lWinter Stargazing Event on Ice
Date: Friday, February 24
Time: 5:00 – 6:00 pm ski & 7:00 – 8:00 pm stargazing
Location: Black Bay Ski Trail parking lot, International Falls, MN
Voyageurs National Park has partnered with the PolarPolars Ski Club, Voyageurs Conservancy, and Astro Bob to bring you the first Annual Winter Stargazing Event on Ice. From 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm the PolarPolars will offer a ski on Rainy Lake. Meet at the Black Bay Ski Trail parking lot and join the group to travel to the designated groomed ski area where you can view the setting sun on skis with friends. While warming up at a fire, let your eyes adjust to the night sky and then from 7:00 to 8:00 pm Astro Bob King will share stories of the stars and help you in identifying the night sky with the naked eye and via telescopes. Hot cocoa and a warm fire will be going throughout the event. Bring your skis or check some out prior to departure (free for the event) from the Rainy Lake Visitor Center. Registration for free ski equipment is required at: bit.ly/skiing-stargazing-2-24.
Film Screening & Social – Twin Cities
Northern Nights, Starry Skies Social & Screening
Date: Thursday, February 23
Time: Preview: 7:00 - 8:00 pm, Showing: 8:00 – 9:00 pm
Location: Sundin Music Hall, Hamline University, St. Paul, MN
Our star-bright northern skies are beckoning. The region has an extraordinary number of places where night skies are dark enough to be experienced in their full splendor. These designated Dark Sky places, recently sanctioned by the International Dark-Skies Association (IDA), are Voyageurs National Park, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and Ontario’s Quetico Provincial Park. Residents and visitors, hungry for renewal in nature and the timeless perspectives offered by dark nights and starlight, are drawn to these special places. Co-produced with Hamline University’s Center for Global Environmental Education, in this documentary, we explore the movement to reduce light pollution and celebrate Dark Sky places, Indigenous star knowledge, and our stewardship of the night sky.
School Programs – Night Sky Experiences for K-12
StudentsBoreal Stargazing Virtual Student Experiences
Dates: Tuesday, February 21 - Friday, February 24
Location: Virtual
Bring your students out of their desk and into the largest International Dark Sky region in the world - right here in Minnesota. By signing up for the Boreal Stargazing Week, your classroom will receive FREE live virtual programs from Voyageurs National Park, Voyageurs Conservancy, and Friends of the Boundary Waters on the wonders of dark skies. Students will learn about these protected lands, the importance of dark skies, and how they can protect them. Programs will be live streamed directly to the classroom. Teachers will also receive the recorded sessions if they cannot attend the live programs. For more information and registration visit: bit.ly/stargazing-week
Dark Sky STEM Challenge in Voyageurs National Park
Tuesday, February 21st
12pm CT, Virtual Program
Boreal Wonders in the Boundary Waters
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
1:00 PM CT, Virtual Program
Protect the Night: Light Pollution with Voyageurs Conservancy and “Astro” Bob
Friday, February 24, 2023
1:00 PM CT, Virtual Program
Boreal Stargazing Week programs will be live-streamed directly to your classroom from Tuesday, February 21 - Friday, February 24, 2023! Teachers will also receive the recorded sessions if they cannot attend the live programs. Learn more and register at: bit.ly/stargazing-week
Boreal Stargazing Week is hosted by Voyageurs Conservancy, Friends of the Boundary Waters, Starry Skies North, Expeditions in Education, Voyageurs National Park, Superior National Forest, and Hamline University’s Center for Global Environmental Education.
