2024 Prairie Stargazing Walk - RESCHEDULED DATE

THIS EVENT HAS A NEW DATE: 10/19 at 7pm. We had to reschedule due to weather and we are still accepting registrations.

To help with your planning, here are our weather guidelines for Saturday:

1. This event will happen unless we have rain or lightning or high wind.

2. If it is cloudy and we are unable to see stars, Susan Cushing will still guide the night prairie walk.

3. We highly encourage you to check your email before getting in your vehicle to come to the event, just in case our presenters could call in sick or in case our weather is very different from where you live.

Join us for an evening outdoors with a guided walk to discover the planets, stars, and galaxies of the fall evening sky on the hilltop trail at the Tunnelville Cliffs nature preserve in Vernon County. The easy short walk on a relatively flat trail will include observation of night life on the prairie and in the sky. The Prairie Stargazing Walk is part of the Conservancy’s 2024 Linked to the Land series of outdoor learning experiences in Wisconsin’s Driftless Area, sponsored by Olson Solar Energy with support from WXOW/ News 19.

This relaxing and educational twilight walk will be led by Susan Cushing and John Heasley. Susan is a Master Naturalist and experienced Environmental Educator with Kickapoo Valley Reserve. John is the founder of Driftless Stargazing, a popular local online destination for fans of stargazing. He is also the coordinator of the Kickapoo Valley Dark Sky Initiative which includes the Tunnelville Cliffs nature preserve.

Tunnelville Cliffs is a 1,118-acre nature preserve with public access on the Kickapoo River near La Farge. The site includes springs, creeks, over 9,000 feet of frontage on the river, forests, cliffs, prairie, sedge meadow, and open grasslands. The property is surrounded by additional protected lands, providing a vast wildlife refuge of 2,278 contiguous acres on the Kickapoo River. The nature preserve is part of a proposed Dark Sky Park of the International Dark Skies Association, and an update on that project and information about the value of dark skies will be shared with participants at this walk.

Those who wish to stay beyond 9:00 p.m. are welcome to do so, however camping is not allowed on the property. Also, as a reminder, dogs are not allowed in the nature preserve.

WHAT TO BRING AND WEAR

Bring curiosity and willingness to explore the quiet and dark of night, red flashlight (if you don’t have one, red film will be provided for use with your regular flashlight), binoculars (optional and some extras will be available), and insect repellent. DRESS WARM! Feel free to bring a folding chair, recliner, or a blanket to prevent neck strain and enjoy the heavens above.

The meet-up is at the corner of Husker Hollow Road and Tunnelville Road, just a couple miles west of La Farge. ANY UPDATES OR CANCELATIONS WILL SENT BY EMAIL THE DAY BEFORE OR OF THE EVENT.

Above: Photo of night sky at Tunnelville Cliffs nature preserve by John Rummel.