ON SATURDAY MARCH 29TH, 2008, FROM 6:45PM TO 9:30PM COME AND CELEBRATE ‘EARTH HOUR’ UNDER THE BEAUTIFUL SKIES OF OUR DAVID DUNLAP OBSERVATORY AND PARKLAND!

This promises to be an evening we will all remember warmly and with great affection – as our global family celebrates The Earth by turning off all lights and electrical appliances for one hour as nightfall of Saturday March 29th progresses westward across the planet, we in Richmond Hill will be celebrating not only our life-sustaining Earth but also a place that is very special and of great importance to us all.

Join us as we bring Earth Hour home and gaze at the wonder of the night sky above us in all its stunning beauty from the front lawns of the Administration Building and Great Dome.

The front gate will open at 6:45pm and for those of you wishing to join us for the hour before Earth Hour, you will have two choices to help keep you informed and entertained as we are lead into the 8 o’clock hour.

There will be a talk given by our very own Professor Tom Bolton in the main lecture room of the Administration Building on ‘Light Pollution – How we stemmed the skyglow in Richmond Hill’. For those of you participating in Tom’s incredible insight into the taming of the lightbulb and just how this relates to the validity and continued operation of the Observatory, please
arrive by 6:45pm to register – there will be a $5.00 entrance fee for this once in a lifetime informative talk which will last about an hour.

For those of you who would prefer to explore the beauty, history and science f the Administration Building, please also join us by 6:45pm to be included n Dr Tuba Koktay’s evening tour of this magnificent building. The tour ill begin at 7pm and you will be expertly led around, up and down this istoric Pre-Confederation building and learn all the secrets and wonders that make this building an integral part of the Dunlap Site. There will be $5.00 admission fee and the tour will also last about an hour.

Then, at Earth Hour, from 8pm to 9pm, everyone will mix, mingle and stargaze n the front lawns of the Administration Building and Great Dome as the GTA urns off its lights and appliances to help save and preserve not only our planet, but to give us the unique opportunity of standing under our dazzling celestial dome in the welcoming silence of our Observatory’s natural hilltop darkness.

We will have outdoor telescopes and binoculars set-up on the front lawns for all to gaze more deeply into our wonder-filled night sky. Sky Tours will be given to any and all who want to be taken on a journey of light years in the making throughout the evening.

We will also have the honour of welcoming David Grey Eagle and his People as they join us on this historic evening and, through their incomparable connection with Mother Earth and Father Sky, they will help us feel and experience the delight and reverance of what it means to be a member of our First Nations on this dedicated land under the comforting umbrella of the sparkling night sky.

Tom will hold a second talk on light pollution at the conclusion of Earth Hour at 9pm if our numbers dictate another session. There will no admittance into the Great Dome unfortunately on this evening, as the telescope will be operating and collecting scientific data for research commitments.

We will have complimentary refreshments outside to keep everyone satisfied and enough wonderful camaraderie and friendship as the Dunlap Community comes together for one memorable night in Richmond Hill that will infuse this unique urban space with all the love, hope and positive energy that will help her stand proud through the coming months.

So – mark off Saturday evening of March 29th on your calendars and come and join us for the experience of a lifetime!

With best regards,
Karen – on behalf of your DDO Defenders Steering Committee.