Here is our first newsletter for 2009 - We hope you enjoy it and please spread the word!

News Flash!!!!! - Gordon’s Park Eco Resort on Manitoulin Island has been designated a dark sky preserve by the Royal Astronomical Society (RASC).  This is a significant achievement and took lots of work to get and we are very proud to be part of the elite dark sky sites in Canada & the United States. Observe stars and planets and nebula’s and other dark sky objects from the darkest site in the Province of Ontario with no light pollution, 360 degree observing, and 7.5+ magnitude.

We’ve updated our website www.gordonspark.com - Check it out!

STAY WITH US - Camping Cabins, Bed & Breakfast, Tipi Tenting, Wooded Campsites, Stargazing Cabin - Call us now at 705-859-2470 to book your reservation

On site activities include a solar heated swimming pool, 18 hole miniature golf, nature interpretive centre, educational hiking trails, archery bow & arrow rentals, orienteering course, birdwatching, astronomy, fossils, cycling routes, horseshoe pits, children’s playground, picnic area, dark sky preserve.

Here is the information on our 2009 Events at Gordon’s Park and we hope that you can attend one or all of them:)

Thursday Nights In July & August Are Astronomy Nights at Gordon’s Park

July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

Aug 6, 13, 20, 27

Every Thursday night in July and August, Gordon’s Park offers a program that includes an orientation into astronomy, preview of astrophotography pictures, detailed review of astronomy posters on planets, northern lights and solar systems, as well as instructions on the use of a planisphere to find objects in the night sky.  Participants will learn how to star hop, view with the naked eye, & have the opportunity to try Bausch & Lomb wide-angle binoculars & observe through the Parks 8″ Dobsonian Telescope. 705-859-2470, www.gordonspark.com

“Walk A Fossil Reef” Sunday Afternoons In July & August at Gordon’s Park

July 5, 12, 19, 26

Aug 2, 9, 16, 23

Join us for an exciting & educational “Walk a Fossil Reef” every Sunday afternoon during July & August at Gordon’s Park with palaeontologist and Algoma University Professor, Sharron Valli. Discover and see actual fossils on the reef including invertebrate corals [tabulates (colonial) and rugose (solitary)], stromatoporoids, bryozoans, and echinoderms (crinoids), molluscs (nautiloids, bivalves, gastropods, cephalopods), brachiopods, echinoderms (crinoids) and more. The park is located on a Drumlin & is a featured stop in the University of Waterloo’s book “Manitoulin Rocks”. 705-859-2470, www.gordonspark.com

Women’s Outdoor Weekend - June 26 - 28, 2009

All Inclusive Women’s Outdoor Weekend including camping (other accommodations available), all food, supplies and workshops including yoga, circle dancing, ice breaker games, nia – the joy of movement, nature crafts, face masks, relaxation massage, outdoor cooking, reiki, focus on forests nature hike, foot baths, Green Wave Eco Lounge, wine & cheese welcome campfire, open mike, sunflower cedar slab planter, wood rings, solar heated swimming pool, mini putt challenge, stone soup luncheon and more. 705-859-2470, www.gordonspark.com

Moonlight Hike & Wolf Howl - July 4, July 31 & August 7, 2009

Gordon’s Park Moonlight Hike & Wolf Howl includes calling for wolves and an educational guided nature hike with a focus on wolves and their habitat.  Participants will use Parabolic Ears and Bausch & Lomb Binoculars to hunt for evidence of wolves, wolf tracks and other signs of wildlife.  A social wolf howling competition around the campfire with really great wolfy prizes follows the hike. 705- 859-2470, www.gordonspark.com

Drum Making Weekend  - July 11 & 12, 2009

Learn the technique and culture of traditional drum making over the course of two days with instructor Lori Sagle. This weekend includes campsite accommodations (B & B, Tipi Tenting, Camping Cabins also available) and all the necessary materials to make your very own deerhide drum. Additional package activities include access to the solar heated swimming pool, nature interpretive centre, and educational hiking trails. 705-859-2470, www.gordonspark.com

Stargazing Manitoulin July 17 - 21, 2009

Excellent Star Party held in the RASC designated dark sky preserve at Gordon’s Park with 360 degree viewing, no light pollution & the darkest skies in Ontario. Activities include a Campfire Welcome Reception, Public Observing Sessions, Laser Guided Sky Tours, Guest Speakers, Swap Meet, Show & Tell Session, Nature Interpretive Centre, Guided Fossil Hike, Mini Putt Challenge, Horseshoe Tournament, Children’s Playground & Saturday Night BBQ Turkey Pot Luck Supper. Presenters for 2009 include Heather Theijsmeijer, Education Coordinator, Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA) on “IA2009: Canada Looks to the Skies” and Klaus Peltsch, Astronomy Professor, Algoma University on “An Update on the Search For Extra Solar Earthlike Planets”.

705-859-2470, www.gordonspark.com

Public Observing Sessions & Laser Guided Sky Tours  - July 17 & 18

Excellent Introduction into Astronomy, these sessions are open to the public during the Stargazing Manitoulin Star Party and are held in the dark sky preserve at Gordon’s Park. The evenings include looking through telescopes & observing with binoculars and an incredible laser guided sky tour. 705-859-2470, www.gordonspark.com

Manitoulin Star Party - August 14 - 18, 2009

Our magnificent premier Star Party is held in the RASC designated Dark Sky Preserve at Gordon’s Park with 360 degree viewing, no light pollution and the darkest skies in Ontario. Activities & Workshops include a Campfire Welcome Reception, Info Sharing Session, Question & Answer Forum, Guest Speakers, Guided Public Astronomy Sessions, Laser Guided Sky Tours, Swap Meet, Show & Tell Session, Nature Interpretive Centre, Guided Fossil Walk, Mini Putt Challenge, Children’s Playground & Saturday Night BBQ Turkey Pot Luck Supper. Presenters this year include Terry Trees, Toronto RASC on “The Murder? Of Tycho Brahe”, and “How To Observe Deep Sky Objects” and Larry McHenry, Past President, Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh (AAAP) on “Observing the Sun” and “Star Myths” 705-859-2470, www.gordonspark.com

Public Observing Sessions & Laser Guided Sky Tours - August 14 & 15, 2009

Excellent Introduction into Astronomy, these sessions are open to the public during the Manitoulin Star Party and are held in the dark sky preserve at Gordon’s Park. The evenings include looking through telescopes & observing with binoculars and an incredible laser guided sky tour. 705-859-2470, www.gordonspark.com

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You can find registration forms and information on all of these events on the Calendar of Events page on our website www.gordonspark.com

To book our camping cabins, tipi tenting, campsites, bed & breakfast or our stargazing cabin,

please call 705-859-2470 or send us an email to rita@gordonspark.com.

Here’s to a warm sunny summer, we look forward to your visit and to hearing from you!

Terry & Rita Gordon
Gordon’s Park
Manitoulin Island
www.gordonspark.com
rita@gordonspark.com
705-859-2470