I've heard several times that "most members won't use a dark-sky site". I wonder; the evidence seems to the contrary. Many SLAS members go to dark sites quite frequently so I have a hard time believing that a dark site would go unused. During warm weather this list is mostly a message board for the Wedge or Wolf Creek, or other remote sites all over the state. While I personally am not currently an active observer, my recent (last few years) attendance has actually been more at the remote locations than SPOC or other suburban star-parties. What folks want in a remote site are a few conveniences and a bit of security. The issue is whether enough clubbers want to commit club money to a remote property purchase or lease, and that is easily determined by a vote. I have to admit to ignorance on this. Has the entire membership ever been polled, or has it always been informal queries at meetings of the percentage who attended that night? If a subset of members got together and formed a co-op to purchase or lease a remote site outside of SLAS, would the membership at large feel offended or ostracized at not having access-on-demand of their own dark site? Would it lead to a duplication of efforts? Good visual astronomy requires a dark site; that is indisputable, so the issue simply must be re-examined from time-to-time by any urban-based club, as time goes by, members come-and-go, interests shift. Discussion should never be considered a waste of time or a reason to roll ones eyes. Back to my cave, thanks for your time. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Meet the all-new My Yahoo! - Try it today! http://my.yahoo.com
Hi all, I agree we should have open and uninhibited discussions about a dark site (and any other dang topic that comes up!). My personal view is that it's hard to get concensus on anything with a large group and that battles are inevitable when too many are involved -- so if concensus can't be reached, a subset who are serious about it should contribute money, time and effort toward developing the right place. As Chuck said, important aspects are dark skies, security and conveniences. I think we need power and some sort of bathroom facilites. It would be nice to have a level concrete pad to set up on. The tower location was so attractive because it had security and power. If we were to purchase a plot of state land down south somewhere, it probably would be a huge expense to bring in power; I doubt Utah Power would volunteer to put up poles and lines for a bunch of nice astronomers. Of course, a generator would be a good alternative. But I also think SPOC is a wonderful observatory and its value should never be downplayed. SPOC is close enough to SLC to be a haven for the public and the views are great there. -- Joe
I'm just sitting on the sidelines watching these threads go by... A couple of years ago there was an article in S & T about an amature astro club that bought some land in Oregon, as I recall. They put up a few small out buildings to get in from the cold and to house solar cells & batteries. Seemed like a pretty styled-out set up for them. I don't recall if they had and lavatory facilities, but there are alternatives like composters or portables that would do the trick. Merry Happy- Joe Borgione Joe Bauman <bau@desnews.com> wrote: Hi all, I agree we should have open and uninhibited discussions about a dark site (and any other dang topic that comes up!). My personal view is that it's hard to get concensus on anything with a large group and that battles are inevitable when too many are involved -- so if concensus can't be reached, a subset who are serious about it should contribute money, time and effort toward developing the right place. As Chuck said, important aspects are dark skies, security and conveniences. I think we need power and some sort of bathroom facilites. It would be nice to have a level concrete pad to set up on. The tower location was so attractive because it had security and power. If we were to purchase a plot of state land down south somewhere, it probably would be a huge expense to bring in power; I doubt Utah Power would volunteer to put up poles and lines for a bunch of nice astronomers. Of course, a generator would be a good alternative. But I also think SPOC is a wonderful observatory and its value should never be downplayed. SPOC is close enough to SLC to be a haven for the public and the views are great there. -- Joe _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.utahastronomy.com --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Find what you need with new enhanced search. Learn more.
participants (3)
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Chuck Hards -
Joe Bauman -
Joe Borgione