Walk and Talk at Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon: "Friday Night Lights of Emiquon"

WHAT: The public is invited to a walk and talk entitled “Friday Night Lights of Emiquon”, which will be led by Dr. John Martin, Assistant Professor of Astronomy/Physics at the University of Illinois Springfield.

WHEN: Friday, July 16, 2010 from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.

WHERE: Thompson Lake landing at Emiquon near Lewistown, Illinois

DETAILS: Martin will present a tour of the summer constellations and other heavenly objects under the dark skies of the Emiquon Preserve. Visitors are advised to dress appropriately for being outdoors and encouraged to bring binoculars. In the event of an overcast sky on July 16, an alternate date of Saturday, July 17 will be offered. Please call Dr. Martin at 217/206-8342 after 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 16 for weather information.

The University of Illinois Springfield Alfred O. and Barbara Cordwell Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon is at The Nature Conservancy’s Emiquon Preserve, located between Havana, IL and Lewistown, IL near the Dickson Mounds Museum. The program is free and open to the public; reservations are not required. Entrance to the field station is on Prairie Road, located off Illinois Rts. 97/78, approximately one-and-a-half miles north of the Dickson Mounds turnoff. A sign will be posted at the turnoff and a map is also available online at www.uis.edu/emiquon/.

Everyone entering the property will be asked to sign a liability waiver. Participants younger than 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult and must have their waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian

For more information, contact Michael Lemke, Director of the Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon, at lemke.michael@uis.edu or 217/206-7339.