DEATH VALLEY, Calif. – Clear skies, telescopes, and engaging speakers combined for a stellar experience at this year’s Dark Sky Festival in Death Valley National Park. The programs had a total attendance of 5,568. Many people stayed for all three days and enjoyed multiple programs.

The Dark Sky Festival included auditorium talks, field trips, astrophotography workshops, night sky tours and other presentations held from February 10 through 12.  Over 1,500 people looked through telescopes hosted by the Las Vegas Astronomical Society.

“It was exciting to see so many people travel to Death Valley to enjoy the night sky,” said Superintendent Mike Reynolds. “This was a special opportunity for the public to interact directly with top scientists studying the planets and stars. And Death Valley National Park is an ideal place for this, because the park has supported a lot of planetary science research.”

The event’s partners included the Ames Research Center, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Death Valley Natural History Association, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Las Vegas Astronomical Society, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, and SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence).

The festival is an annual celebration of space and planetary science in one of the darkest locations in the United States. Dates for the 2024 Dark Sky Festival have not been set yet.

–www.nps.gov/deva-  

Death Valley National Park is the homeland of the Timbisha Shoshone and preserves natural resources, cultural resources, exceptional wilderness, scenery, and learning experiences within the nation’s largest conserved desert landscape and some of the most extreme climate and topographic conditions on the planet. Learn more at www.nps.gov/deva.  

(Photo Below: Ralph Lorenz, from the John Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, talks about the exploration of Venus. NPS photo by J. Hallett)

(Photo below: Michael Tuite from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory leads a guided field program at Mars Hill in Death Valley. NPS photo by J. Hallett )

Mammoth Lakes, Calif. (December 2, 2022) — Mammoth Lakes, California has won the honor of “Best Ski Town” in North America in the 2022 USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Award Contest.
Mammoth Lakes is home to Mammoth Mountain and surrounded by the Eastern Sierra wilderness that Ansel Adams made famous. With a long history as a basecamp for adventurers, Mammoth Lakes has kept its laid-back charm as major investment over the last decade brought a host of new dining, lodging, air service and activity options that provide for an exceptionally well-rounded visitor experience. Not to mention, the local ski and snowboard season is one of the longest in the country, often extending to the Fourth of July.

Mammoth Lakes was one of 20 nominated North American mountain towns chosen by an expert panel which included a combination of editors from USA TODAY and 10Best.com, relevant expert contributors, and sources for both these media and other Gannett properties. After four weeks of public voting, Mammoth Lakes came out on top, named the “Best Ski Town” of 2022. The top ten
included:
1. Mammoth Lakes
2. Banff
3. North Conway
4. Stowe
5. Banner Elk
6. Park City
7. Jackson Hole
8. Telluride
9. Aspen
10. Ketchum

“This impressive honor further reinforces Mammoth Lakes as the country’s premier mountain destination,” said John Urdi, Mammoth Lakes Tourism’s Executive Director. “With prime snow conditions extending well into the spring months, the world-famous Mammoth Mountain ski resort, miles of snowy terrain to explore, and endless family-friendly winter activities, Mammoth Lakes sets the standard for all mountain ski towns. Mammoth Lakes is accessible with air service from hundreds of cities across the country, making it easier than ever to access.”

Check visitmammoth.com for more information and to get started booking a Mammoth Lakes
vacation.

About USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards Nominees for all categories are chosen by a panel of relevant experts which include a combination of editors from USA TODAY; editors from 10Best.com; relevant expert contributors; and sources for both these media and other Gannett properties. The nomination panel for each award category is displayed on its associated contest page. All voting is digital and the 10Best Readers’ Choice Award contest is accessible on the 10Best.com website.

10Best.com provides users with original, unbiased, and experiential travel content of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world. The core of the site’s uniqueness is its team of local travel experts: a well-traveled and well-educated group who are not only experts in their fields – and their cities – but discriminating in their tastes. These local experts live in the city they write about so the content is constantly updated. 10Best.com averages 5 million visitors per month. It was acquired by USA TODAY in January of 2013.

At 2:45 p.m. Friday, July 8, 2022, the Bishop Fire Department was dispatched to Fairview Circle for a

structure fire. When the first unit arrived at the scene, three structures were already fully engulfed, with

fire rapidly spreading into the nearby brush and neighboring residences due to windy, dry conditions.

Seeing the magnitude of the incident, Bishop Fire requested mutual aid from throughout the region.

Southern California Edison cut electricity to the surrounding area, and CalFire immediately directed their

units towards the spreading vegetation fire to protect nearby neighborhoods.

Friday’s high winds, along with narrow access areas, propane tank involvement, and a lack of nearby fire

hydrants severely hampered firefighting efforts. Firefighters were forced to withdraw from Fairview

Circle and had to fight the fire from Watterson Road. Seventeen water tenders made multiple trips to

draft sites and fire hydrants to provide enough water to suppress the blaze.

Tumbleweed Lane and Indian Creek Drive were evacuated as the fire spread. These evacuation orders

were lifted later in the evening once forward progression of the fire was stopped. The Watterson Road

area remained evacuated until mid-afternoon on Saturday as fire crews continued mop-up efforts.

Firefighting resources remained at the scene throughout the night Friday, all day Saturday, and continue

to patrol the area as needed.

Nine residences and approximately 20 outbuildings were destroyed in the fire. Four additional

residences were damaged. The cause of the incident remains under investigation, and is believed to be

accidental in nature.

One firefighter suffered smoke inhalation during the Fairview incident. The firefighter was transported

to Northern Inyo Hospital by Symons Emergency Services and was released later Friday night after

treatment. One civilian was injured.

“Our hearts go out to everyone who lost their homes and were displaced by this fire,”

said Bishop Fire Chief Joe Dell. “We are extremely grateful to everyone who stepped up to help fight this

fire, and to everyone who continues to help those affected.”

The Bishop Fire Department would like to extend a huge thank-you to the numerous agencies that

responded from throughout the Eastern Sierra to help fight the Fairview Fire, including Big Pine,

Independence, Lone Pine, White Mountain, Chalfant Valley, June Lake, Antelope Valley, Wheeler Crest,

Mammoth Lakes, Long Valley, CalFire and the Inyo National Forest. The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office,

Symons Emergency Services, Reach Air Medical Services, the Bishop Police Department, Inyo County

Health and Human Services, Mountain Warfare Training Center (Pickel Meadows), the Los Angeles

Department of Water and Power, Indian Creek Mutual Water Company, Bishop Public Works and the

American Red Cross also provided assistance during and after the fire.

Additional thanks go to Two Brothers from Italy in Big Pine, who shut down their restaurant to make

pizzas that they then donated to the firefighters, Vons of Bishop, which donated sandwiches, snacks and

water, and the countless other groups and individuals who came forward to support the firefighting and

recovery efforts.