Whitfield under the Starry, Starry Skies

If the universe aligns as forecasted, this Friday should bring a starry, starry night above Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area, north of Rio Communities.

The new moon will provide a dark sky canopy for the annual Whitfield under the Stars event from 4:30-8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 21, at Whitfield. This star party is hosted by the Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District, with assistance from the Friends of Whitfield and in partnership with the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument.

“Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument is excited to participate, once again, in this year’s Whitfield under the Stars,” stated Natalia Sanchez Hernandez, SPM’s chief of interpretation. “Our strong partnership with Valencia SWCD supports SPM’s efforts to educate the public on the importance of protecting our pristine dark skies, and interpret the night sky experienced by ancestral Puebloans, Spanish Franciscans and others.”

Visitors are encouraged to arrive early, before the sun sets, to walk along Whitfield’s 1.1-mile perimeter trail, where they are sure to be greeted by the sound and sights of Sandhill cranes overhead and may even see the cranes alight at Whitfield. Whitfield is located at 2424 N.M. 47.

Stargazing orientation begins at dark — 5 p.m. — with SPM Park Ranger Christopher Arendt presenting “Celestial Navigation and the Age of Exploration” at Whitfield’s Visitor and Education Center.

Just as the vivid Aurora Borealis (northern lights) suddenly were visible across New Mexico last week, Whitfield’s night sky menu may include a special treat, too. The Leonid meteor shower, which is active through Dec. 2, could bring streaks of light above Whitfield, as Earth passes through the debris trail of Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.

Visitors may see the meteors and constellations through telescopes brought by Sanchez Hernandez as part of this National Park Service’s longstanding public outreach and cooperation with Valencia SWCD.

For those who attended the summer Dark Sky events at SPM’s Abó Unit, astronomer by night and engineer by day, Tim Solinski, will be familiar. Tim will position his large telescope for viewers of all heights to be able to glimpse the stars and sights of the night sky.

Astrophotographer Sarah McIntyre will help visitors tell the story of Whitfield’s skies in photographs. Sarah will help teach visitors who to capture the night sky, even with their cell phones. Sarah, who regularly guides photographers at Abó, is known to “create fine art images of the land and sky” and her work “extends past the bounds of Earth into deep space astrophotography.”

NPS Natalia and her staff will also bring tripods that are especially designed to accommodate cell phones for night sky photography. NPS intern Aaron Bussey will set up an on-site printer to allow visitors to leave with a photographic souvenir of their starry sky experience at Whitfield.

Be sure to dress for the cooler autumn temperatures expected on Friday, possibly down to the high 40s. If lightweight jackets still leave visitors cold, the Friends of Whitfield will be on hand with hot chocolate and warm cider. Young and young-at-heart visitors will also be glad to know that cookies will be served, too.

The event is free, thanks to the generosity of the district’s partners at the National Park Service, the kindness of astronomer Tim Solinski and astrophotographer Sarah McIntyre and the Friends of Whitfield. However, donations of non-perishable food to assist those in need during the festive season ahead will be gladly welcomed by Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 6, Whitfield will be the site of Valencia SWCD’s first open house. The open house is designed to provide the public with the opportunity to get to know its local soil and water conservation district. The public can meet district staff and board members.

Because a quorum of the board may be present, official notice of the open house will be made, though no decisions will be made. Valencia SWCD, which has served the public since 1947, is eager to hear about the natural resource concerns of district residents.

At the open house, folks can take a guided hike through Whitfield; learn about building health soil, harvesting rainwater and financial assistance programs for farmers and backyard gardeners from Valencia SWCD, the Natural Resource Conservation Service and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District and bring informational brochures home.

Valencia SWCD is able to provide one-stop information services about conservation at Whitfield because, after NRCS lost its Los Lunas Field Office, Valencia SWCD stepped up and provided NRCS office hours at Whitfield, three days per week. MRGCD will also be offering Whitfield office hours once per month.

For more information on Whitfield under the Stars or the Valencia SWCD Open House, please call 505-864-8914 or write chair@valenciaswcd-nm.gov.

(Teresa Smith de Cherif is board chairwoman of the Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District, an avid hiker and fan of Whitfield’s dark skies.)