A night of a beautiful sunset and wonderful moonrise was enjoyed on the evening of June 3rd at the future dark sky viewing area in Cameron County, PA. This event was held by the Cameron County Recreation Department and Marketing Department. The guest presenter was Don Bickford, a dark sky enthusiast and former outdoor education director. The full moon illuminated the night and major constellations were quite visible including the planets Venus and Mercury. The sounds of the night were enjoyed without hinderance of traffic including whippoorwills, crickets, and deer snorts. Viewing assistance was provided with binoculars from Cameron County Recreation funded by Lumber Heritage Region (LHR) grant dollars. The parking area for public access landscaped by DCNR was utilized which enabled a ¼ mile walk to the presentation site. This parking area provides a buffer for the dark sky viewing area to be naturally hidden by the landscape from artificial lighting from entering vehicles.
Approximately 20 individuals came to enjoy the program. Response from those in attendance said it was a pleasant experience and they look forward to further programs being held.
A future gathering is tentatively scheduled for July 21st starting at 8pm. Other events will be scheduled in later months, utilizing public access to the Dark Sky Viewing area for those interested. Currently a Dark Sky Advisory Committee (DSAC) is being gathered to assist in the development of the area and work with direct partners such as DCNR, DEP, and LHR.
