It is now 17 months since the Marquette Astronomical Society approached the Presque Isle Advisory Committee to suggest making the west side of Presque Isle a Dark Sky Park.

Like any proposal requiring change, there was some apprehension and many questions. The greatest concern was personal safety and vandalism.

Extensive research revealed Dark Sky Parks are popular downstate. The Hudson Lake Recreational Area Dark Sky Park began 20 years ago and may have been the first in the nation.

All of the parks we contacted are open 24/7 and have had no personal safety issues. They have no increased police presence, and vandalism is no worse than during daylight hours.

During a conversation with Mary Adams, director of the Headlands International Dark Sky Park, Mary stated, “We have had no safety issues.” Even more impressive, the Headlands is open 24/7, and during its seven years of existence they had two signs defaced. That is a better record than Presque Isle, which does not have a Dark Sky Park and closes at 11 p.m.

The Presque Isle topography is unique making it more dangerous than the downstate parks. Initial research revealed six deaths on Presque Isle over the last 25 years. Now there are eight.

All eight deaths have occurred along the cliffs on the east side or along the quarter-mile stretch of Black Rocks. There have been no deaths near the pavilion. If the drive-around is chained off after dusk, Presque Isle is no more dangerous than any downstate park.

Last summer the Marquette City Commission voted unanimously to create a Dark Sky trial period on the west side of Presque Isle near the pavilion. That section of the park would remain open until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays during September and October and the second half of August. The drive-around would close at 11 p.m.

Unfortunately, good viewing nights do not always fall on weekends. Some nights were cloudy, cold, or rainy. No one used the park on those nights. We did have several good nights.

Sept. 23 was unseasonably warm with the temperature above 70 degrees at 9 p.m. My wife and I found a couple we knew at the park. We sat on a park bench and talked and admired the beautiful sky for over an hour. Next door at the Black Rocks, college students were having too much fun.

One of the students required evacuation by EMS and the Marquette Fire Department. In our Dark Sky Park proposal, the Black Rocks and cliff area would be chained off after dusk to reduce injuries.

Even on good nights the impact on the park was minimal; the park benches only hold so many people. That changes when Northern Lights are present like on Oct. 13.

The parking lot near the pavilion was full, but a steady stream of cars was coming from the Black Rocks. I saw a Greyhound size bus make the tour. I am sure there were people crawling over the Black Rocks.

We hope a Dark Sky Park will provide an alternative and reduce the number of people using the Black Rocks. I talked to several park custodians who confirmed there was no vandalism and the only injury occurred before 11 p.m. at the Black Rocks.

It is time to create a Dark Sky Park for the entire summer, as there is much to see. On May 9, Jupiter will make its closest approach to Earth. The four Galilean moons will be visible with binoculars.

On June 27, Saturn makes its closest approach to earth. A telescope like the loanable library telescope is needed to see its rings. Hopefully, some of the Marquette Astronomical Society’s large scopes will be available for public viewing. Seeing Saturn’s rings should be on everyone’s bucket list.

On July 27, Mars makes its closest approach. Again, a telescope is needed to see Martian detail. On Aug. 12 we should have a spectacular meteor shower. There will be no moon, so 60 meteors per hour may be visible. This is an excellent opportunity to bring the family and a large blanket.

The Dark Sky Park has unprecedented community support with endorsements from The Mining Journal, the Northern Michigan University Seaborg Center, the Superior Watershed Partnership, scout troops, and many other organizations. Educators view the Dark Sky Park as a convenient outdoor learning center.

I spoke to Mayor Tom Baldini at the Christmas Craft Show just weeks before he died. He expressed his desire that the Dark Sky Park become a permanent city attraction.

Tom was a supporter of all things educational and a supporter of the Dark Sky Park. He will be missed.

Editor’s note: Larry Buege is a member of the Marquette Astronomical Society.