Observatory Park:
From the Ground to the Galaxies –
An Educational Adventure

Observatory Park will provide more than 1,100 acres where the public will connect with, explore and experience the natural world from the ground to the galaxies – an educational experience that will change perceptions of Earth and sky and compel people to interact with these in a new way.

From the microscopic species found in woodland pools to the vast wonders that illuminate the night skies, we have a universe of natural wonders to explore. Observatory Park is designed to open this vast world to students and curiosity-seekers of any age or level of experience.

This park also addresses the national priority for education in a unique fashion. Studies have shown that U.S. leadership in science and engineering is being challenged, and it is estimated that the U.S. will need 200,000 new science and math teachers over the next decade. Our legacy of creativity and innovation should be kept at the forefront.

Click any of these to go directly to an update below.
> Donors
> Monitoring Stations
> FAQ: Dark Sky Initiatives
> Dedicating Observatory Park
> Partnerships Made in the Heavens
> What People Are Saying
> Get Involved

Donors

Thank you to the following partners and contributors to the Observatory Park Capital Campaign as of January 20, 2012. Observatory Park would not be possible without your support.

Richard J. Frenchie, FACHE
Observatory ParkCampaign Chair

$250,000 +
The Fairmount Minerals Foundation

$100,000 to $249,000
Edna and Florence Kaplan Estate
Geauga Park District Foundation
The William O. & Gertrude Lewis Frohring Foundation
The Hershey Foundation
Kinetico Incorporated

$25,000 to $99,000
Constance Thomas Estate
The Lubrizol Foundation
The Abington Foundation
The Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation
The John P. Murphy Foundation
Mr. & Mrs. Richard J. Frenchie
Mr. & Mrs. Raymond Laubenthal
Mr. & Mrs. John Leech
Dr. Edith Lerner

$10,000 to $24,999
Mr. & Mrs. T Parkinson
Mr. & Mrs. Richard Locke
The Paul & Maxine Frohring Foundation
The Reinberger Foundation
Dr. & Mrs. John Blazar
The O'Neill Brothers Foundation
The Basista Family
Ms. Betty Cope
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund - Anonymous
Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Hornick
Mr. & Mrs. Richard Hyde
Mr. & Mrs. Walter Fortney
Mr. & Mrs. James Kewley
Mr. & Mrs. Paul Miller, Sr. Estate
The Perkins Charitable Foundation
Mr. & Mrs. Keith Tompkins

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$5,000 to $9,999
Mr. & Mrs. John Steigerwald
Night Vision Event For Observatory Park
The Louise H. and David S. Ingalls Foundation, Inc.
Mr. & Mrs. Frank Samuel
The Lester E. & Kathleen A. Coleman Foundation
Mr. & Mrs. Charles Fowler
Ms. Kathy Leavenworth
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Miller
Ms. Mary Perkins

$1,000 to $4,999
Mr. William Ginn
Mr. & Mrs. Richard S. Grimm
Mr. & Mrs. Mark Meister
Mr. & Mrs. Todd Ray
Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Kimmich, Jr.
Ms. Marjorie Krause
Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Suszynski
Dr. Wesley J. Pignolet Fund
Mr. & Mrs. Dan Galdun
Mr. David Ford, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Bill Prior
Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Burr
Mr. Sean Dague
Notre Dame Elementary School 4th Grade
Ms. Emilie Gottsegen
Mr. Robert Page
Mr. & Mrs. Jack Boykin
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Keesecker
Nestle Very Best In Youth - Nestle USA
The Nord Family Foundation
Mr. & Mrs. Hugh Pallister, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Ralston
Mr. & Mrs. Franz Sauerland
Science Applications International Corp
Mr. & Mrs. David Simko
Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin Slane

Monitoring Stations

Monitoring stations at Observatory Park serve two purposes: to report back to national scientist, and to educate those who visit the park.

As part of Weather Underground, its Weather Station includes these instruments that measure local atmospheric conditions to formulate forecasts and record data for weather and climate studies:

• A thermometer for indicating current air temperature
• A barometer for gauging air pressure
• A hygrometer to measure humidity
• A rainfall gauge to measure recent precipitation
• An anemometer to measure wind speed
• A weather vane to indicate wind direction
  
  As part of The Ohio Seismic Network, its Seismic Station includes these instruments that detect, measure and record movements in the earth, including vibrations produced by earthquakes:
• A seismometer, which is a sensitive instrument in the ground that detects earth tremors deep in the earth’s crust.
  
• A seismograph, which transforms a tremor’s seismic wave energy into electrical voltage, then converts it into digital data
  
• A seismogram is the recording produced from the seismograph’s digital data, which is displayed on a screen in Observatory Park's plaza

Wonder what these stations are reporting back? The information can be viewed any time online!

Weather Station
On the top right of the page, the toolbar offers a summary, maps of our location and nearby weather stations, and other interesting information.

Seismic Station
On the right of the page, select Station Data, and on the next page select Montville to select Observatory Park. Clicking on the Helicorder under "OGSO Station Data" gives the best representation of the actual signal and shows activity up to 24 hours ago, depending on which Helicorder you select.

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Weather Station atop the Oberle Observatory

Seismograph installation

FAQ: Dark Sky Initiatives

We're pleased to announce that Observatory Park is now officially an International Dark Sky Park - but what does that mean for this park and the community?

What is the International Dark Sky Association? 

Established in 1988, the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) is an educational and environmental nonprofit based in Tuscon, Arizona, dedicated to preserving the nighttime environment and the heritage of dark skies through quality outdoor lighting. With more than 11,000 members in 70 countries, the IDA works with communities, astronomers, ecologists and lighting professionals at local, national and international levels. The IDA does not advocate turning off lights or removing them, but rather encourages the use of quality outdoor lighting - that is, the proper necessary amount of light, and lights shining down instead of up.

What is light pollution?

Exterior lighting is used for a variety of reasons: work or recreation, advertising, safety or security. However, when the obtrusive aspects of lighting extend beyond the boundaries of the area in which lighting is intended, the result is light pollution – and this misdirected outdoor lighting wastes energy (to the tune of $2.2 billion every year), disrupts the global ecological balance, and has been linked to negative consequences in human health.

It is difficult to comprehend the paramount importance of the sky to our ancestors. The rhythms of the sun and moon oriented them to time and space, and the stars guided them in their explorations of new lands. Today's light pollution is so pervasive that a person standing on the observation deck of the Empire State Building would be unable to discern much more than the moon and a handful of very bright stars – less than one percent of what Galileo Galilei saw through his telescope in 1610. And, standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon, the brightest feature of the sky is not the brilliance of the Milky Way, but the glow of Las Vegas 175 miles away.

What is a designated International Dark Sky Park (IDSP)? 

Parks and other natural landscapes that receive the coveted Dark Sky Park designation must meet stringent criteria. This includes creation of a comprehensive lighting management plan and commitment to strong public outreach programs and a natural landscape that provides exceptional nighttime viewing, with little or no light pollution. Parks receive Bronze, Silver or Gold designations depending on nighttime sky quality, which is measured by light pollution meters and satellite imagery.

Observatory Park received designation in August 2011 as a certified as Silver-Tier Dark Sky Park, one of only nine Dark Sky Parks in the world. Other designated parks include Natural Bridges, Utah; Cherry Springs State Park, Pennsylvania; Clayton Lake State Park, New Mexico; The Headlands of Emmet County, Michigan; Galloway Forest Park, Scotland, UK;  Zselic National Landscape and Hortobagy National Park, Hungary.

Why is this designation important to Geauga County?

This designation complements Geauga Park District’s mission to preserve, conserve and protect. If we work together to preserve dark skies at Observatory Park and throughout Northeast Ohio, the threat of light pollution will be minimized, energy costs will be reduced, and the ecological balance of wildlife will be protected.

What can I do to reduce or eliminate light pollution?

Light pollution is not an inevitable side effect of progress, and unlike other environmental problems, it can be easily reversed without reducing visibility, safety or security.

• Use outdoor light only when and where you need it. For example, make sure the wattage is appropriate for the amount of light you are using.
• Use only downward lighting. Floodlights, especially, should be retrofitted with shields to prevent light from spilling upward. Shields can be purchased at your local lighting store or home improvement center.
• Keep in mind that more light does not necessarily mean more security. Studies have shown that excessive outdoor lighting creates glare and may not deter criminals.

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Photo: Russ Swaney/CVAS

Photo: NASA

Cloudy skies were the only thing standing between those who attended the dedication and seeing the Milky Way.

Downward-facing illumination keeps light pollution out of Montville's skies.

Dedicating Observatory Park

Due to ongoing construction on trails and site features, Geauga Park District was not ready to open Observatory Park to the public - but what better place to celebrate its 50th Birthday than its most exciting new destination?

More than 1,500 people flooded into the park on August 20, 2011, for a glimpse of what is yet to come and activities honoring the nature of this innovative, educational Dark Sky park.

The following proclamations read at the dedication exemplify just a sampling of the national excitement brewing for this natural treasure.

Geauga County Commissioners Office
Ohio Governor's Office • Ohio Senate
U.S. House of Representatives • U.S. Senate

Click here for pictures of the event, and check back for the date of the Grand Opening in the spring! of 2012!

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Partnerships Made in the Heavens

So many members of the scientific and educational communities have embraced this park with their generous support of knowledge and time.

Organizational Partners

This group has helped develop the park's infrastructure in relation to its scientific components and supported its dark sky initiatives.

Chagrin Valley Astronomical Society
Since this park's inception, CVAS has been integral in planning and developing it, even volunteering several months to restore the Oberle Telescope, and will continue to be involved with its operation and presentation to the public. Our sincere thanks go to the society’s president, Ian Cooper, for his leadership and the active involvement of many members of the CVAS.
Case Western Reserve University
Great Lakes Science Center
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History
International Dark-Sky Association
Lake Erie Nature & Science Center

Technical Advisory Group

This group was created by Bill Ginn, one of Geauga Park District’s most ardent advocates. Before any detailed planning of Observatory Park took place, a core group of them met to brainstorm and advise the Park District on goals and aspirations for the creation of this unique, comprehensive, never-before-tried educational facility devoted to the sciences of the heaven and the earth. The TAG has profoundly impacted the vision and content for this audacious venture. Currently, the expanded TAG is focused on its new mission of maximizing the educational potential of Observatory Park for the benefit of all the patrons of the respective organizations in the group.

Educators Advisory Council

This group volunteered time to develop a curriculum for sixth-graders' visits to Observatory Park starting during the 2011-12 school year.

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Dan Rothstein of Chagrin Valley Astronomical Society begins assembling the focusing mount. The camera will project images to the Robert McCullough Science Center across the plaza.

Ian Cooper and Dan Rothstein of the Chagrin Valley Astronomical Society prepare many of the telescope's pieces and parts on June 30. The large black plate seen in the lower left would soon hold telescope’s 25.5” mirror. The control room window is in the upper right. The computer system interface software, being created by Russ Swaney, will control the movement of the Oberle Telescope and point it precisely to the desired spot in the sky.

Swaney (lower left) and Cooper begin painting the Oberle Telescope its final egg shell white color..