Arkansas Dark Sky Festival (and Nature Fest)

Arkansas Dark Sky Festival / Nature Fest at Bear Creek Cabins

(click on this link to see lovely drone footage of the site at Bear Creek)

(photo by Rocky Togni)

Some people call it a Dark Sky Festival. Some people call it a Star Party. For me, it was a Nature Fest!


As is so often the case, the weather forecast was unreliable -- even on the days of the event. Each night we were supposed to have partly cloudy or fully cloudy skies. And each night we had great dark-sky conditions. Thursday cleared up just as it got dark and was perfect all night. Our avid amateurs were viewing the dim fuzzies until after 3 am. Friday night was a bit more questionable, but the clouds dissipated about 9:30 with great viewing thereafter. Saturday was forecast to be cloudy so I was told to prepare a campfire, but instead the clouds cleared off just after it got fully dark and there was great viewing again. My take: never trust a forecast. (Click on this link to see a lovely photo by Alan Wagoner of the Milky Way taken during the star party.)


The Nature Fest also had plenty of activities. Sue staffed our NCAMN table and found plenty of interest from the public. We are confident that this event will have produced several new members for various AMN branches. Sue is already working on ideas for making our table even more of an attraction next year.


The festival also had tables for two Audubon societies, the Ozark Society, NWA Space, and others. All shared knowledge about nature and staffed activities for adults and kids.


During the daytime I talked about the Sun and the upcoming eclipses. I also taught people how to use library telescopes and how to see sunspots using a white-light solar filter. Sam Morris (standing just behind me in the above photo) showed off stunning views of active coronal mass ejections using his Lundt 35 mm hydrogen-alpha solar scope. Those are highly specialized items that you won’t get to use very often, so it was a treat.


We heard fine talks on a variety of topics in nature. Birds --

(photo by Rocky Togni)

And seasonal habitats for insects and birds, presented by Laurie Scott of Northwest Arkansas Master Naturalists.



(photo by Rocky Togni)

And, of course, Dr. Amber Straughn speaking about the James Webb Telescope (introduced by event Chair, Bruce McMath) --

(photo by Rocky Togni)

(Click on this link to see the crowd gathered to hear Dr. Straughn's speech.)

But my absolute favorite part of the Nature Fest was organizing and helping to lead Nature Walks on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings. If you like nature walks, it’s hard to beat rambling along a clear Ozark stream like Bear Creek. We saw lots of wildflowers, lots of insects, and we climbed to the top of the Boone Buttresses. There are only two known buttress formations in Arkansas. This one is on the private property of Bear Creek Ranch so the best way to explore it is to come to next year’s Dark Sky Festival. I think you’ll find the trip very worthwhile. Click this link to see a great panoramic shot by Alan Wagoner of the full buttress formation.

(Photo by Angela Chandler)

Laurie Scott (NWAMN) and I (NCAMN) led the hike on Friday morning. Here is our Friday group crossing the creek on our way to the bluff. We were fortunate to be joined by Katie Morris, an AGFC specialist, who caught two different species of crayfish and a cricket frog for us to hold and admire in our own sweaty palms. Here Laurie and I are seated on the very edge of the bluff pictured above:

And below we have a picture of Katie Morris along with my good friend Rocky Togni, who is perhaps the most accomplished amateur astronomer in the state of Arkansas. You don’t often get to hike with such experts . . . unless you join Amy and Ellen on our regular wildflower walks!

Planning is already underway for the 3rd annual Arkansas Dark Sky Festival. Once again it will be held at Bear Creek Cabins, from September 26 - 28, 2024.  .  . . Click here for a final, soothing photo of reflections in the swimming hole by the pavilion.