MEDIA RELEASE

Naturalists seek more protection for the
Heritage Designation of Dunlap Park & Observatory

November 22, 2007 — The Richmond Hill Naturalists today filed a Notice of Objection to the proposed Heritage Designation for the David Dunlap Observatory. On October 23, the Town of Richmond Hill designated the Observatory buildings worthy of protection under the Ontario Heritage Act. The Naturalists made the formal objection because the Town of Richmond Hill did not include heritage protection for the contents of the Observatory or the land on which it stands.

“We stepped forward even though we were put in a very difficult position,” said Marianne Yake, President of Richmond Hill Naturalists. “On one hand we applaud the actions the Town took in trying to preserve the buildings, but believe Council should use the full extent of its authority in seeking to protect this historical, cultural and scientific asset for our community”, she stated.

The Notice of Objection states further protection is required for the scientific, historic and educational contents of the Observatory buildings, including telescopes, computerized support equipment, maintenance and repair shops, books, periodicals, observation logs and slide reference libraries. In addition, the Richmond Hill Naturalists call for protection of the heritage landscape of the site. Yake stated that “In addition to the clear environmental benefits of forest cover and green space, full protection of the David Dunlap Observatory landscape is needed.”

“The unique historic and cultural value of the David Dunlap Observatory can only be maintained if the natural landscape remains unaltered and if the resident wildlife refuge, an intended consequence of the Observatory’s long history, is also protected”, she added.

“Every clear night, the David Dunlap Observatory has made continuous contributions to astronomy since 1935 and that work continues to this day. The natural setting surrounding the Observatory has flourished with formal tree plantings that support the steady operation of the telescope. The buildings and the land are integral. You can’t protect one, without the other. They’re locked together by the intent of the original donor, Jessie Donalda Dunlap.”

This Fall, the University announced its intention to sell the Dunlap property and buildings, and by mid-November it put the property out for formal bids.

“Almost every school age child living in the GTA over the years has been through these buildings getting an introduction to astronomy and real science,” said Yake. “If that’s not heritage, I don’t know what is.”

The Conservation Review Board who administers the Ontario Heritage Act is expected to hear the matter of designation for the David Dunlap Observatory.

END

Contact Info:

Marianne Yake
President, Richmond Hill Naturalists
Phone: (905) 883-3047
Email: [email protected]

https://www.rhnaturalists.ca

In the years prior to 1900 there was a North American tradition of a Christmas ‘side-hunt’, with the intent of bagging the largest number of feathered and furry creatures. In 1900, at the dawn of a very slow-developing concern over the environment, a move began to instead do a bird count. The first such count was done by 27 people in 25 cities across North America, including Toronto. In recent years it has grown to include more than 1500 locations and over 60,000 participants. It has been formalized into a process of counting the total number of birds of every species found in a 24-km diameter circle on a single 24-hr day in the Christmas period (this year 14-28 December).

In Richmond Hill the count has been carried out under the auspices of he Richmond Hill Naturalists since 1955. Our circle is centered roughly at the intersection of the Stouffville Side Road and Yonge Sreet, and extends from Steeles Ave in the South to Mulock in the North, and from McCowan to Pine Valley E to W. This area is covered in two ways. The main effort is undertaken by a number of volunteers who split up into groups each of which will cover one of 9 subdivisions of the circle.Additional participants are always welcome, and need only contact one of the Coordinators (see below).

The second approach invites anyone living in the circle to report any birds they see at their own feeders on that day (this year Saturday 15 December). They can watch for any length of time, and need only make a record of all that they see. This list can then be communicated to the RH Naturalists by emailing [email protected], or by ordinary mail to the Club (PO Box 32217, Harding Postal Outlet, Richmond Hill, ON L4C 9S3) or by phone to one of the Coordinators (Gene Denzel at 905-889-7888).

This year, for the first time, the event is being sponsored by the Wild Birds Unlimited store on Yonge Street, south of Hwy 407. They are donating prizes for both groups of participants. Winners of one of three gift card prizes will be drawn from amongst those backyard feeder watchers who submit their data by Wednesday 19 December. The winner from the other group will be drawn at the traditional Chili Supper held on the evening of the count day.

On November 14, Dr. Tom Bolton was on CBC Radio’s Sounds Like Canada program to talk about the kind of work astronomer are doing at David Dunlap Observatory. You can listen to the entire interview.

The wide-ranging interview provides an overview of the history of the observatory, the work that lead to Dr. Bolton’s discovery (using the Dunlap Observatory) of the first Black Hole in 1972 and a discussion of how the telescope is being used today by Canadian and international astronomers. As a well-known expert on Dark Skies and light pollution, Dr. Bolton insists that sky glow is not a valid reason for closing the David Dunlap Observatory:

“Well, in my mind, that is a phony issue. First of all, we have light pollution controls in Richmond Hill.  Second of all, light pollution has not reduced the effectiveness of the observatory any since 1971. In fact, once we put electronic detectors on the telescope in 1989, which allow us to subtract the sky background, at least to some degree, we’ve actually been able to observe 100 times fainter than we could before then, and, with an investment of $10,000 in new equipment, we could probably push that another factor of 10. So, for the kind of astronomy that this observatory has always been best for, there has been no change.”

Dr. Bolton told the CBC that while there has been a trend in North America to close smaller observatories in order to build larger telescopes, smaller instruments continue to prove their worth in Europe and around the world. If the DDO remains open, Dr. Bolton has plans for a fall 2008 project to track a star orbiting a gamma ray source for a period of 28 days using the DDO along with specialized instruments located in Europe and New Mexico. He notes that this kind of research, known as “time-series” astronomy, is simply not possible using large telescopes which allocate just a few days a year to visiting astronomers.

Within the astronomical community, there is ongoing debate over the need for both large and small telescopes.  In 2004, NOAO director Sidney Wolff acknowledged  that large telescopes are essential, but added that “small telescopes are making exciting contributions to frontline research, including (1) measuring changes to the expansion rate of the universe, (2) finding optical counterparts to gamma-ray bursts, (3) making precise observations of Sun-like stars in order to understand solar influences on climate change, (4) making direct detection of extrasolar planets, (5) conducting the first deep all-sky survey in the near infra-red, and (6) discovering near-Earth asteroids.”

In 2006, David Dunlap Observatory astronomers contributed to 19 scientific publications.

Join the West Humber and Richmond Hill Naturalists for a special presentation of An Inconvenient Truth with Anne Parker, a volunteer with The Climate Project. Anne Parker’s slide show and talk will combine views from this movie on the “planetary emergency of global warming,” slides of current climate change occurring in Canada and solutions for environmental sustainability.

November 15, 7:30 p.m.
Richmond Hill Presbyterian Church
Wallace Hall, 10066 Yonge St.
(west side, first block north of Major Mackenzie Drive)

For more information on this event, contact Marianne Yake, 905-883-3047. Non-members are welcome to attend.

A local citizen’s group will be holding a rally to preserve David Dunlap Obersvatory on Thursday, November 8th at 12:30 PM.

Bring your signs and banners to Rally against redevelopment of the David Dunlap Observatory lands! When: 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM on Thursday, November 8 Where: Municipal Offices (Town Hall), 225 East Beaver Creek Road, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3P4

Amazing Comet Holmes Easily Visible By Eye

We here in the northern hemisphere weren’t able to see much of the unexpectedly spectacular passage of Comet McNaught earlier this year. (It became one of the brightest and prettiest comets in the past 100 ears). But here in Canada we are perfectly placed to witness a different comet, Comet Holmes, that just went through an equally unexpected and even more remarkable brightening, going from an insignificant faint speck of light visible only through large telescopes, to now appear as one of the fifty brightest objects in he nighttime sky, easily visible with the unaided eye and a real treat in binoculars.

The public is invited to view Comet Holmes from the grounds of the avid Dunlap Observatory at 123 Hillsview Drive in Richmond Hill his Saturday night (November 3) from 7 pm to 10 pm EDT (weather permitting). Bring warm clothing and a pair of binoculars if you ave. Telescopes manned by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada ill be provided for a closer look. (The Observatory’s main 74-inch telescope will not be available for public viewing on this night.)

IMPORTANT: Please check the RASC’s website to confirm that the event is proceeding as planned. If weather is unsuitable on Saturday, we will try again on Sunday night, same lace and time.

Directions to the Observatory

On October 30th, the U of T Governing Council voted to declare David Dunlap Observatory and its adjoining 189-acre property as “surplus” land, so that it may be sold. A dozen Richmond Hill residents attended the U of T meeting to support Marianne Yake, president of the Richmond Hill Naturalists, who had formally requested to make a deputation before the vote was taken. Godwin Chan, Richmond Hill Ward 6 councilor was also in attendance and was prepared to speak to the University Council on behalf of Ward 6 residents. We were extremely distressed and disappointed when the Council Chair declined to allow Ms. Yake or any other member of the public to speak. In spite of the fact that the sale and eventual development of the DDO property would negatively affect thousands of Richmond Hill residents, the University of Toronto has made no effort to consult with area residents or consider alternative arrangements for the property.

Please read the full text of the Richmond Hill Naturalists’ October 29 Letter to U of T for more details.