Thanks to Myakka River State Park's location in a mostly rural area, the night sky remains fairly dark.  Indeed, during our Astronomy Night in the Park - the inaugural program of our new series of one off Myakka-centric experiences Experiencing Myakka's Magic - over 160 participants enjoyed being able to observe and learn about planets, galaxies, and star clusters from the Suncoast Stargazers.   This astronomy club servicing the Bradenton, Sarasota, Venice and surrounding Florida communities came out in force, bringing with them impressive state-of-the-art telescopes.

And in an important environmental education follow up, our February Wild Florida feature in The Observer expanded on why dark skies not only delight park visitors, but are also critical for helping protect the park’s flora and fauna.  

You can read more about the importance of dark skies, and how we can all help reduce light pollution in our article Light pollution disrupts lives of plants and animals.