Walk and Talk at Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon: "The Perseids and Thompson Lake"

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

WHEN: Thursday, August 12, 2010 from 8:30 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.

WHERE: Thompson Lake landing at Emiquon near Lewistown, Illinois

DETAILS: Martin will present an introduction to the annual Perseid Meteor Shower under the dark skies of the Emiquon Preserve. The Sangamon Astronomical Society will also be on hand to share views of the sky through their telescopes. Visitors are advised to dress appropriately for being outdoors and encouraged to bring binoculars. In the event of an overcast sky on August 12, an alternate date of Friday, August 13 will be offered. Please call Dr. Martin at 217/206-8342 after 5 p.m. on Thursday, August 12 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.