Skycare Live: Launching the RMIDSR Sky Quality Network

Join us for an extraordinary community milestone and a true day of "firsts" for the River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve (RMIDSR)!

We are bringing cutting-edge citizen science into the daylight with a high-impact presentation showcase designed for local landholders, curious families, and nature enthusiasts alike to discover the incredible value of our pristine 3,200 square kilometre Reserve.What is "Skycare"?For years, we have used Landcare to protect our local soils, water, and native scrub. Skycare expands that protection right up into the atmosphere!

It means treating our pristine night sky as a precious natural resource that needs local stewardship. By keeping our skies dark, we protect our nocturnal wildlife, support community well-being, and grow world-class nature tourism right here in our region.

What’s On the Program:

🎤 12:30 PM — Official Opening & State Landcare Awards Celebration: A special welcome to open the session, set the stage for the Reserve's latest milestones, and lead a massive congratulations of our State Landcare Awards (celebrating Aimee Linke for the Women in Landcare Award, Cambrai Primary School for the Junior Landcare Award, and our own RMIDSR Committee for the Innovation Award)!
📡 1:00 PM — The Dashboard Reveal: A live, interactive demonstration of the brand-new Skycare Live Dashboard, showing the community exactly how local data streams securely from an automated paddock station right up to the web in real-time.
🚀 1:30 PM — Scientific Milestone Presentation: A sneak peek at a new Australian Space Research Conference (ASRC 2026) paper, detailing our groundbreaking statistical techniques for tracking sky darkness in the RMISDR.

🔭 Open Interactive Hub & Networking (2:00 PM – 3:30 PM):

🤖 Smart Scope Showcase: Matt Clarke will be running a dedicated table display featuring hands-on, zero-stress demonstrations of the next generation of astrophotography. Come check out the Dwarf Mini and brand-new Dwarf 3 smart scopes.
⚙️ Behind-the-Scenes Telescope Display: We are bringing out a bunch of telescopes for a daytime display! Attendees can touch the gear, ask questions, and learn the exact "how and why" behind what we do to protect our night skies.

🛠️ NightWatch Build Station: Stop by our dedicated technical table to see an automated SQM unit up close, alongside a video loop playing footage of the Skycare Station 01 installation so you can see the build story on screen.

Event Details:

🕒 When: Saturday, 14 November 2026, 12:30 PM — 3:30 PM (ACDT)
📍 Where: Swan Reach Area School Gym (Completely weather-proof indoor venue)
🎟️ Cost: Entry is entirely FREE, but registrations are essential to manage seating capacity logistics

This pathfinder project is proudly funded by an Inspiring SA Community Science Engagement Grant and delivered in proud partnership with Mid Murray Landcare SA and the Swan Reach Men’s Shed.

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