Prairie Stargazing Walk

Join us for an evening outdoors with a guided walk to discover the planets, stars, and galaxies of the fall evening sky on the hilltop trail at the Tunnelville Cliffs nature preserve in Vernon County. The easy short walk on a relatively flat trail will include observation of night life on the prairie and in the sky. The Prairie Stargazing Walk is part of the Conservancy’s 2023 Linked to the Land series of outdoor learning experiences in Wisconsin’s Driftless Area, sponsored by Olson Solar Energy with support from WXOW / News 19.

This twilight walk will be led by Susan Cushing and John Heasley. Susan is a naturalist and artist who has lived much of her life in the Kickapoo Valley where she has observed and studied the local flora, fauna, and night skies for years. Susan has led numerous night hikes, participated in bat surveys, and has helped develop an astronomy program at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve, where she also serves on the board of directors. John is the founder of Driftless Stargazing, a popular local online destination for fans of stargazing. He is also coordinator of the proposed Dark Sky Park which includes the Tunnelville Cliffs nature preserve.

ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED for this FREE event by October 4 at https://www.mississippivalleyconservancy.org/events. Registration is available on a first-come-first-served basis. In the event of a cancellation due to weather, you will receive an email message and we’ll try for a rain date the following evening.

Above: Photo of night sky in the Kickapoo Valley by Dave Delap