Visitors to the local Astronomy Centre will be even more starry-eyed thanks to a $36,000 grant from the Ontario trillium Foundation announced on Sunday by Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker.
The grant money will help set up the Bluewater Astronomical Society as a fully-functional public observatory, open to astronomy enthusiasts young and old.
“I’m pleased Trillium recognizes and values the work of the Society and is helping to promote education in astronomy to club members, students and the general public here in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound,” said Walker.
Joining MPP Walker to present a plaque from the Foundation to Society vice-president Brett Tatton was OTF representative Roger Cosgrove.
“This grant will allow the Bluewater Astronomical Society to pursue its aim of bringing astronomy education to the general public. The new equipment, including a large telescope, will allow BAS members to provide an “eyes-on” experience in astronomy to students and residents of the area,” said BAS vice-president John Hlynialuk.
The Bluewater Astronomical Society holds star-gazing sessions, lectures and astronomy events for students and the general public in Bruce and Grey. The organization has a large, modern observatory, the ES Fox Astronomy Centre at the Outdoor Education Centre of the Bluewater Education Foundation, where people can see the moon, planets, star clusters, galaxies and nebulae.
This announcement is part of the $334,000 in OTF grant money announced last week for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound.
The Ontario Trillium Foundation is an agency of the Ontario government that funds non-profit initiatives.
