2009 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Programs & activites are subject to change.

(several documents linked from this page require the free Acrobat reader, available here)

Women's Outdoor Weekend
All Inclusive Women's Outdoor Weekend including camping (other accommodations available), all food, supplies and workshops including yoga, circle dancing, ice breaker games, nia - the joy of movement, nature crafts, face masks, relaxation massage, outdoor cooking, reiki, focus on forests nature hike, foot baths, Green Wave Eco Lounge, wine & cheese welcome campfire, open mike, sunflower cedar slab planter, wood rings, solar heated swimming pool, mini putt challenge, stone soup luncheon and more.

EfstonScience Star Party

Thursday Nights Are Astronomy Nights
Every Thursday night in July and August, Gordon's Park offers a program that includes an orientation into astronomy, preview of astrophotography pictures, detailed review of astronomy posters on planets, northern lights and solar systems, as well as instructions on the use of a planisphere to find objects in the night sky. Participants will learn how to star hop, view with the naked eye, & have the opportunity to try Bausch & Lomb wide-angle binoculars & observe through the Parks 8" Dobsonian Telescope.

"Walk A Fossil Reef" Sunday Afternoons
Join us for an exciting & educational "Walk a Fossil Reef" every Sunday afternoon during July & August at Gordon's Park with palaeontologist and Algoma University Professor, Sharron Valli. Discover and see actual fossils on the reef including invertebrate corals [tabulates (colonial) and rugose (solitary)], stromatoporoids, bryozoans, and echinoderms (crinoids), molluscs (nautiloids, bivalves, gastropods, cephalopods), brachiopods, echinoderms (crinoids) and more. The park is located on a Drumlin & is a featured stop in the University of Waterloo's book "Manitoulin Rocks".

Moonlight Hike & Wolf Howl
Gordon's Park Moonlight Hike & Wolf Howl includes calling for wolves and an educational guided nature hike with a focus on wolves and their habitat. Participants will use Parabolic Ears and Bausch & Lomb Binoculars to hunt for evidence of wolves, wolf tracks and other signs of wildlife. A social wolf howling competition around the campfire with really great wolfy prizes follows the hike.

Drum Making Weekend
Learn the technique and culture of traditional drum making over the course of two days with instructor Lori Sagle. This weekend includes campsite accommodations (B & B, Tipi Tenting, Camping Cabins also available) and all the necessary materials to make your very own deerhide drum. Additional package activities include access to the solar heated swimming pool, nature interpretive centre, and educational hiking trails.

Stargazing Manitoulin
Excellent Star Party held in the RASC designated dark sky preserve at Gordon's Park with 360 degree viewing, no light pollution & the darkest skies in Ontario. Activities include a Campfire Welcome Reception, Public Observing Sessions, Laser Guided Sky Tours, Guest Speakers, Swap Meet, Show & Tell Session, Nature Interpretive Centre, Guided Fossil Hike, Mini Putt Challenge, Horseshoe Tournament, Children's Playground & Saturday Night BBQ Turkey Pot Luck Supper. Presenters for 2009 include Heather Theijsmeijer, Education Coordinator, Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA) on "IA2009: Canada Looks to the Skies" and Klaus Peltsch, Astronomy Professor, Algoma University on "An Update on the Search For Extra Solar Earthlike Planets".

Public Observing Sessions & Laser Guided Sky Tours
Excellent Introduction into Astronomy, these sessions are open to the public during the Stargazing Manitoulin Star Party and are held in the dark sky preserve at Gordon's Park. The evenings include looking through telescopes & observing with binoculars and an incredible laser guided sky tour .

Moonlight Hike & Wolf Howl
Gordon's Park Moonlight Hike & Wolf Howl includes calling for wolves and an educational guided nature hike with a focus on wolves and their habitat. Participants will use Parabolic Ears and Bausch & Lomb Binoculars to hunt for evidence of wolves, wolf tracks and other signs of wildlife. A social wolf howling competition around the campfire with really great wolfy prizes follows the hike.

Moonlight Hike & Wolf Howl
Gordon's Park Moonlight Hike & Wolf Howl includes calling for wolves and an educational guided nature hike with a focus on wolves and their habitat. Participants will use Parabolic Ears and Bausch & Lomb Binoculars to hunt for evidence of wolves, wolf tracks and other signs of wildlife. A social wolf howling competition around the campfire with really great wolfy prizes follows the hike.

Manitoulin Star Party
Our magnificent premier Star Party is held in the RASC designated Dark Sky Preserve at Gordon's Park with 360 degree viewing, no light pollution and the darkest skies in Ontario. Activities & Workshops include a Campfire Welcome Reception, Info Sharing Session, Question & Answer Forum, Guest Speakers, Guided Public Astronomy Sessions, Laser Guided Sky Tours, Swap Meet, Show & Tell Session, Nature Interpretive Centre, Guided Fossil Walk, Mini Putt Challenge, Children's Playground & Saturday Night BBQ Turkey Pot Luck Supper. Presenters this year include Terry Trees, Toronto RASC on "The Murder? Of Tycho Brahe", and "How To Observe Deep Sky Objects" and Larry McHenry, Past President, Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh (AAAP) on "Observing the Sun" and "Star Myths".

Public Observing Sessions & Laser Guided Sky Tours
Excellent Introduction into Astronomy, these sessions are open to the public during the Manitoulin Star Party and are held in the dark sky preserve at Gordon's Park. The evenings include looking through telescopes & observing with binoculars and an incredible laser guided sky tour.