Volunteering for this particular public star party has many rewards. First, it is held at arguably one of the most beautiful spots on the face of this Earth. Second, meeting the variety of people from all over the world is a wonderful to experience. Third, showing someone the night sky for the first time is tremendously rewarding for you and enriching for them. I guarantee, if they don't remember your name, they will remember the view! Fourth if it's true what I tell people, that amateur astronomers are "paid" by the "wow", I get very rich every year. Fifth, if you enjoy making someone smile, this is your party. Even in the dark, you can see them.

Reservation Guidelines

Given what I learned about the party parameters in 2008, the following is a rundown on how I feel this event should unfold. Some things will be different from a volunteer point of view, but I hope to maintain the major focus of the party on the enjoyment of the public.

The largest limiting factor of this event is the amount of space on the veranda that is available for telescopes. We want as many as we can get, without overcrowding the visitors or restricting the movement of the scopes. The number of scopes I came up with is about 12, depending on the sizes of scopes supplied. (In 2008, we had a maximum of 10 scopes that included 2-20", 2-18", 1-15", 2-14.5", 1-12" and 1-6", all Dobs, plus one 5.5" Tec refractor and a pair of binoculars.) We could fit a couple smaller scopes, like a refractor or two, but big Dobs are at a limit. (I hate to call it a "limit", but in reality, that's what it has to be, not by my choice, but by the conditions on the veranda.)

The next factor is lodging. There are a limited number of campsites available-83 total at the North Rim as compared to nearly 300 at the South Rim. Cabins are available when you make your own arrangements. To keep things balanced, I need your help.

If you plan to make your own lodging arrangements, I need to know as soon as possible so I can schedule you to make sure we have the entire week covered. Last year, we came up a bit short on the final night-we only had 3 scopes and a couple pairs of binoculars. If you'd like to volunteer for only 2 or 3 days, I'd like you to contact me before you make reservations. I can then balance the schedule to cover the week. If you'll be attending for the entire week, (or at least 6 of 8 nights), I need to know that, too.

It may sound complicated, but it's actually simple. There are requirements for both complimentary camping and arranging your own lodging. For a free campsite, you need to agree to set up 6 of the 8 nights. To arrange your own lodging and stay for as long or short as you like, you have to let me choose when, or let me know beforehand.

So, here's what I'd like to happen. Volunteers making their own lodging arrangements will contact me first, between January 1st and March 1st. I'll accept as many as I can schedule to provide 6 telescopes on the veranda for the week, regardless of length of stay. Beginning March 1st, I'll take reservations for the free camping sites, again, until I have another maximum of 6 telescopes on the veranda for the entire week. The number of campsites reserved will depend on the number of scopes available, not number of volunteers. (Say you have 3 people in your party-yourself, your spouse and one child. You operate a scope and so does your spouse, but the child does not. That's one camp site and two scopes. See?)

This arrangment gives me some flexibility in reserving campsites from the Park Service, and lets them get back some of the spots later on.

The Kaibab Lodge Event

Plans are afoot to add a contingent at the Kaibab Lodge, north of the Grand Canyon Lodge. I see it as an "overflow" venue to some extent, but also a perfectly viable option in itself. I'll be asking for a volunteer "co-coordinator" for this event once it's established. Details are being worked out as to how many scopes they'll accept, lodging, camping and so on. Stay tuned as more information becomes available.

You can contact me directly at my email address , or for more information about the South Rim event, visit the official site of The Grand Canyon Star Party by clicking the "Official GCSP Page" link above.

Steve Dodder

Coordinator, North Rim Grand Canyon Star Party