DARK SKY PRESERVES
SEEING STARS
In overcrowded Britain it’s rare to be somewhere truly 'dark'. But Canada’s wilderness, and particularly its dark sky preserves, offer spectacular star-gazing without straying too far, says Laura Gelder
Where to See...
T
here are few better places in the world to reconnect with our night skies than Canada.
Across the country 'Dark-Sky
Preserves' – or DSPs – have been designated by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada as areas where little or reduced artificial lighting is visible, and where pro-active measures are in place to promote the reduction of light pollution, such as low-fixed street lights that point down rather than up. In several of these DSPs, visitor facilities and/or tours are in place to educate locals and visitors alike about the many benefits of dark skies. DSP designations are given to enhance the quality of night-time sky viewing but also to protect nocturnal wildlife habitats: the biological and behavioural activities of plants, animals and insects rely on darkness to forage, breed and navigate and can be adversely affected by light. Here are some suggested locations to catch Canada's skies in all their glory.
Alberta
Jasper National Park is the largest of Canada’s DSPs – in fact it is the largest in the world! It’s also the only preserve in Canada with a town wholly within the preserve, making its 97% designated
wilderness accessible – and not just to those who want to trek into the wild. There are several public observation
sites in the park, but the two main sites for star-gazing are Pyramid Island and Athabasca Glacier. The first is around 15 minutes from the town of Jasper, a magical setting where the starry skies come with a scenic lake and Pyramid Mountain as the backdrop. Athabasca Glacier enjoys a spectacular alpine environment, but still sits within just a kilometre of a hotel and two campgrounds. There is also Jasper’s Dark Skies
Festival (
jasper.travel/dark-sky- festival-2014) in October, with this year’s events including a day-time solar eclipse, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra Strings performing for 'Symphony Under the Stars' and lectures from astronomers and dark sky photographers. Chris Hadfield, Canada's first
astronaut to walk in space, will be the headline guest and principal speaker. He will host a private event, held at
a secret Jasper location, on Saturday October 25 and visitors will also be able to meet and mingle with Hadfield during various events taking place over the course of the festival.
British Columbia The McDonald Park Dark-Sky Park is in Fraser Valley a short drive from Vancouver. Tucked against Sumas Mountain, the park's mountain slopes act like a huge amphitheatre to block off the lights of close-by towns.
Ontario The capital province has several DSPs. Gordon's Park DSP on Manitoulin Island, Lake Huron, is one of the darkest preserves in Ontario. The rugged and rocky Torrance Barrens DSP in Muskoka is situated a convenient two- hour drive from Toronto.
Québec Parc national du Mont- Mégantic's DSP's observatory is on an isolated hill just five kilometres north of the Québec-US border. The area is noted for its prolific birdlife and moose.
Saskatchewan The 'darkest' of all Canada’s reserves is Grasslands National Park – the only place in Canada where you can see black-tailed prairie dogs and black-
Selling Canada • Summer 2014 23
footed ferrets in their native habitat. Cypress Hills DSP spans Alberta and Saskatchewan and hosts a Summer Star Party each August.
New Brunswick The province's DSPs include Kouchibouguac, with its maze of bogs, salt marshes, tidal rivers, lagoons, forests and Fundy National Park, home of the world's highest tides.
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia's DSP is located in Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site. Educating visitors about the ecological and cultural importance of reducing light at night is pivotal to the park. A Dark Sky Weekend is planned for August 15-17.
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