Summer Stargazing Series
Join Sequoia Riverlands Trust for a fun and informative evening of stargazing at Dry Creek Preserve – near Lemon Cove & Visalia, in Central California

Do city lights prevent you from getting a good look at the night sky?  Even if you could, would you know what you were looking at?  Is that a star or a planet?  Join Sequoia Riverlands Trust and local amateur astronomers for a fun and informative evening of stargazing at Dry Creek Preserve.  Spectacular deep sky objects are within reach of our telescopes, and participants will come away with a new understanding and appreciation for the night sky.  Several large telescopes will be on hand, and amateur astronomer Dave Adalian and others from the Tulare Astronomical Association will answer questions on the stars and planets, the constellations, and the universe. 

Since California Portland Cement Company donated this 152-acre quarry north of Lemon Cove in 2004, Sequoia Riverlands Trust has been restoring natural stream flows, re-contouring disturbed areas, seeding native grasses and planting oak and sycamore trees. Once accomplished, this project will provide the first example of an ecologically-based aggregate mine reclamation in Tulare County. The preserve offers a place to enjoy natural river environments while learning how retired gravel mines can again provide wildlife habitat, scenic beauty and an opportunity for community stewardship.

Mark your calendars!  Stargazing nights are held on June 7 (8-10p.m.); July 12 (8-10 p.m.); and August 23 (7:30-9:30 p.m.).

Location & Directions: Dry Creek Preserve, located near Lemon Cove. From Visalia, travel east on Highway 198 to Highway 216.  Follow Highway 216 west toward Woodlake one-half mile and turn right (north) on Dry Creek Road. The preserve is located two miles down on your right.

Bring: Water, layered clothes, insect repellant, blankets or lawn chairs and a friend.  If you have a telescope, binoculars or star chart, bring those as well.  Because white light from flashlights makes it harder to see the night sky, use only red-lamped flashlights, or retrofit your regular flashlight using red cellophane and a rubber band.  Please, no dogs.

Donation: $5 Sequoia Riverlands Trust members; $10 non-members or join that day and attend the program for free. Memberships start at $35 for an individual or $50 for a family.

About Sequoia Riverlands Trust:  Sequoia Riverlands Trust is a 501(c)(3) community-based, non-profit dedicated to conserving the natural and agricultural legacy of the southern Sierra Nevada and San Joaquin Valley. For more information click here.