Event Recap - Stargaze at Wooldridge Winery

Picture this: It’s Friday evening in early spring. You are enjoying fine wine and local cheese in a beautiful garden as you watch the sun set over green hills. Surrounded by community members, you listen to a talk about why dark skies matter. As the sun sets behind the hills, the guest of honor arrives: darkness. You pull out your binoculars and embark on a tour of the first planets and stars to emerge from the night sky. 

Liz Shen describes the formation of Applegate After Dark while attendees enjoy pleasant evening at Wooldridge Winery. Photo by APWC staff.

This idyllic scenario took place last Friday, when Applegate After Dark hosted a dark sky education and stargazing event at Wooldridge Creek Winery. The evening began with a presentation on the physics of night light, as well as the importance of dark nights on human health and animal populations. Then, making the best of cloudy skies, attendees were guided through a stargazing session. Despite the clouds, Jupiter, prominent stars Sirius, Castor, and Pollux; and some major star clusters made an appearance.

This stargazing session at Wooldridge Winery was the first of multiple stargazing events that Applegate After Dark plans to host this year in partnership with local wineries. Given the dynamic nature of the night sky, the event series will highlight how celestial bodies shift with the seasons, and attendees will pick up some knowledge on the significance of dark skies along the way. 

Applegate After Dark was founded by Sam Dennis and Liz Shen, two locals who share a passion for dark skies. The idea for the group was conceived after a pair of nighttime events at Provolt Recreation Site in 2024 (Star Party and Creatures of the Night), were very well-attended, demonstrating a community investment in the merits of dark skies.

Inspired by the quickly growing international Dark Sky movement, Sam and Liz recognized that the Applegate would benefit from a local chapter. As the Applegate Valley is surrounded by hills, it is sheltered from the glow of neighboring urban areas and forms a dark sky refuge within the greater Rogue Valley. In fact, residents of the Applegate are part of the 20% of Americans who can see the Milky Way.

Provolt Recreation Site at night. BLM photo by Kyle Sullivan.

When the group was formalized about a year ago under the umbrella of the Applegate Partnership & Watershed Council, its mission was solidified: Applegate After Dark (AAD) works to increase awareness and knowledge of the health, environmental and economic benefits of dark nights, while working to decrease light pollution in the Applegate Valley and beyond.

Since then, AAD has worked towards its mission through multiple avenues, gaining several community partners along the way. In fall 2025, the group hosted another successful event, “The Twilight Zone: Bugs, Bats & Beyond” as part of A Greater Applegate’s Jackasphine Count(r)y Fair, with presentations from the Bureau of Land Management and Pollinator Project Rogue Valley. The group has also taken the first steps toward designating Provolt Recreation Site as a dark sky refuge. Recently, AAD received an Innovation Grant award from A Greater Applegate to purchase dark sky-friendly bulbs and support the creation of outreach material to distribute at events. 

BLM Biologist Zia Fukuda presents during “The Twilight Zone” at Provolt Recreation Site in September 2025. Photo by Jim Reiland.

Event attendance shows that Applegate residents have a vested interest in dark skies! You can sign up for updates about upcoming events and initiatives on AAD’s website page. If you are interested in attending an Applegate After Dark meeting, contact apparks@apwc.info.