STARGAZERS AND PLANET SAVERS – Celebrating Earth Day Beneath Starry

GREENWICH, CT – The Greenwich Land Trust, a local non-profit dedicated to protecting the environmental health of our community, hosted a stargazing event at Fisher Field as part of a weekend-long Earth Day celebration. Over 50 people gathered to close out their Earth Day weekend under clear skies on a beautiful spring evening. Children enjoyed twilight hayrides through the meadow and the weather provided optimum conditions for viewing the night sky. Two rehabilitated screech owls were released into the night by Wildlife in Crisis founder Dara Reid. High-powered telescopes were provided by astronomer Rick Bria and the Astronomical Society of Greenwich. Stargazers enjoyed roasting marshmallows, eating savory smores and catching a glimpse of Jupiter with four moons visible, Saturn with its rings, and an up-close, intimate view of our moon. A binary star was also spotted and the international space station made two visible appearances during the evening. “Looking out at the sky and at the bigger picture helps us connect to our planet and as we celebrate Earth Day,” said GLT Conservation Council co-chair Karen Marache. “Enjoying the outdoors with friends and family and feeling awed by the power of nature – it makes us feel grateful to call the Earth our home.” The Greenwich Land Trust, founded in 1976, is a 501c3 non-profit organization and nationally accredited land trust dedicated to maintaining 737 acres of land in the Greenwich area – to protect the environmental health of our community, preserve its natural beauty and conserve its waterways, forests and wildlife for this and future generations. To learn more, please visit www.gltrust.org Wildlife in Crisis is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization, founded in 1989 to care for injured and orphaned wildlife. Our facility in Weston, Connecticut was donated to us by an anonymous benefactor in 1990, and in the years since we've received an average of 10,000 calls about wildlife every year. To learn more, please visit www.wildlifeincrisis.com/ Founded in 1985, the Astronomical Society of Greenwich is an association of amateur astronomers at all levels of expertise, affiliated with the Natural Science and Education Departments of the Bruce Museum.