Astronomy club taking shape in Sisters

Building on the success of their Stars Over Sisters star watch program, local amateur astronomers and educators are in the process of establishing an astronomy club.

The organization will be called Sisters Astronomy Club (SAC) and will operate under the Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) as a community partner committee.

It is expected that Sisters School District students will play a major role in the formation and operation of the club. High school science teacher Rima Givot and middle school teachers Dave Glick and Tanya Young say that some of their students are already excited about the prospect of participating in the club.

Colleen Galvin of the Deschutes County Library in Sisters is involved in a variety of local community outreach programs. Galvin says she welcomes the opportunity to work with the astronomy group and has some ideas about how to call attention to the fledgling club.

Wolftree Inc. has expressed interest in working with the astronomy club. Wolftree is a charitable non-profit corporation that serves people and their communities through science education, ecosystem restoration, and ecological research. Co-founder Dale Waddell says that Wolftree is looking to introduce more hard science and mathematics into their program. He feels the astronomy group may be able to offer assistance in helping to write curricula for future science courses.

Last summer a few amateur astronomers from Sisters donated their time and telescopes to conduct a star party for the Deschutes Land Trust (DLT) at Rimrock Ranch. DLT hopes to offer similar events to their members next summer. The Land Trust is an organization dedicated to conserving land for wildlife, scenic views and local communities.

Besides carrying forward the successful Stars Over Sisters star watch program, SAC is looking to establish general club meetings, perhaps on a monthly basis. These meetings would provide a forum for interested participants to work on astronomy-related projects, or for inviting guest speakers to address a general audience.

For more information contact Ron Thorkildson at 541-549-8846.