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GREAT FALLS – For thousands of years, humans helped navigate their travels by gazing up at celestial bodies in the night sky. On April 5, First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park is offering a chance for modern-day visitors to recreate that experience by holding a Star Gazing Party from 8 – 10 p.m. at the park’s visitor center.

Rangers and staff from the park along with the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center will help visitors explore the night sky through storytelling and identification of celestial objects, and telescopes will be available for use. Red-light headlamps, lawn chairs, and layered clothing is recommended, and participants are asked to bring their own binoculars or a telescope if available. In partnership with the Lewis and Clark Foundation and Celestron, participants will be entered into a drawing to win a telescope at the conclusion of the evening.

The event is free, but an $8 entrance fee applies for non-resident vehicles. The program is weather dependent and may be moved indoors in the event of clouds or poor weather.

First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park is 3.5 miles north of Ulm, just off Interstate 15 at Exit 270. For directions or more information about the park visit: stateparks.mt.gov/first-peoples-buffalo-jump/

For more information about the event, contact Andy Keller at andy.keller@mt.gov or call the park at 406.866.2217.