CCFPD invites community to celebrate International Dark Sky Park at Middle Fork
BY DANI TIETZ
dani@mahometnews.com
Looking at a friend in a coffee shop, listening to the wind run between the leaves, feeling the sun’s warmth in the middle of summer.
There are many ways within a day’s drive that humans are able to connect with something bigger than self.
One of the most meaningful ways to connect with the universe is to sit underneath the night sky, looking at the stars above. Even still, experiencing the magnitude of the solar systems above is often tainted by the lights residents and businesses use in the evening hours.
But there is one place in Illinois to get away from it all: the Middle Fork River Preserve located at 3433 County Rd. 2700 E., in Penfield.
A 688-hectare site in eastern Illinois, the Middle Fork River Preserve is one of six public preserves owned and operated by the Champaign County Forest Preserve District.
It protects a restored prairie rich in native wildflowers and grasses, and its landscape features a variety of habitats including upland oak forest, restored prairie and river bottom forest. Hiking, wildlife viewing, and fishing are popular activities in the Preserve.
The Preserve is also a dark nighttime refuge for wildlife in the midst of significant skyglow from nearby cities such as Urbana, Champaign and Rantoul.
In November, a two-year partnership between CCFPD and the Champaign-Urbana Astronomical Society brought forth Illinois’ first and only International Dark Sky Park at Middle Fork.
This Friday, the Champaign County Forest Preserve will celebrate its status with a Dark Sky Park Dedication Celebration.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 6 p.m. with a “Dark Sky Places” presentation and new sign dedication.
Crafts and hands-on activities will begin at 7 p.m. followed by a Starwatch Presentation by by David Leake, Director of William M. Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College, at 8:30.
Then at 9 p.m. the Champaign-Urbana Astronomical Society will guide visitors through a Starwatch Program, highlighting stars, planets and other wonders available in the night sky.
Organizers plan to be at Middle Fork until midnight, but visitors are welcome to stay as long as they would like.
