Quote:
Originally Posted by Satchmo
Interesting news , but a little sad in a way: the loss of a publically accessable dark sky observatory site that was open to the public, who would only be really interested in eyeballing the Universe with their own eyes anyway. Are there others feel the same way?
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Sorry, but that didn't have anything to do with it.
Since the 9/11 terror incidents, tours had dropped considerably (80% of our visitors where from the USA) and it became very difficult to fund the facility on tours alone.
Our initial objective was always to bring the universe to the general public and visiting astronomers, to share the wonders of the southern skies.
This change of direction was certainly not taken lightly - consideration was given to the fact that in recent years, there have been other public observatories built for the general public in the area and therefore Grove Creek was no longer the only place available (despite our premier night skies).
My health was also declining and it was difficult for me to continue with the demands of running tours with NO help, since 1986. With other private observatories having staff living on-site and deluxe accommodation that some people demanded, Grove Creek could no longer really compete.
Hope that explains it a little better.