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KOOCHICHING COUNTY — Voyageurs National Park and the nonprofit Voyageurs Conservancy are hosting a three-night event that features the park’s dark skies, natural history and astronomical delights.
The Voyageurs Star Party will be held Aug. 18-20 with events on Rainy Lake and at Lake Kabetogama.
Details on times and locations of events can be found at voyageurs.org/starparty.
All of the events are free, but preregistration is required for the Aug. 18 event with featured speaker Paul Bogard at the Thunderbird Lodge east of International Falls on Rainy Lake. Bogard is author of “The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light.”
Events on Aug. 19 at the park’s Rainy Lake Visitors Center and Aug. 20 at the Kabetogama Visitors Center feature News Tribune astronomy columnist "Astro Bob" King.
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There also are family-friendly events planned. Events include park naturalists to help explain the history of the Voyageurs region as well as access to telescopes.
As first reported in the News Tribune , Voyageurs National Park became officially certified as an International Dark Sky Park in December 2020. This certification from the International Dark-Sky Association recognizes Voyageurs for the exceptional quality of its dark skies and its ongoing commitment to preserving darkness and educating the public about the night sky.
The conservancy helped secure the certification by funding key light fixture changes to reduce light pollution at the park and hosting night sky educational programs.
