On Nov. 8, Ogden Nature Center is inviting the public onto its grounds for its first-ever Starry Starry Night Party. The free event, which will run from 6 to 8:30 p.m., will afford attendees the opportunity to view the night sky through telescopes while learning from NASA Solar System Ambassador Jen Jones.

Jones will discuss where meteor showers come from and why we have them, just in time for the Leonid and Taurid meteor showers in November. Additionally, Nature Center staffer Kylie Brandt-Friedman will share myths about the constellations and facts about the stars and moon.

Although the event is free, attendees must RSVP via https://www.ogdennaturecenter.org/education-programs/community-programs/ by Friday in order to attend. The first 50 families to arrive on the night of the event will receive a 12-page Night Sky Field Guide. Grounds For Coffee and Harmon’s are providing coffee, hot chocolate and cookies, respectively.

Ogden Nature Center — first organized on May 19, 1975 — is coming up on its 50th anniversary, a milestone that will be recognized at a number of events leading up to a planned birthday bash in May 2025.

“Really, I’m amazed that people in the community came together 50 years ago and really said this would be such a value for our community to have,” Laura Hayes Western, Ogden Nature Center’s executive director, told the Standard-Examiner. “This is an educational landmark for people to learn and connect with nature and those handful of people worked with the city of Ogden to ensure that this land would be saved in a legacy for the future.”

That land, which was formerly farmland and orchards and, later, the domain of the U.S. Department of Defense, now encompasses a 152-acre nature preserve and education center offering hands-on field classes, community programs and special events.

“We continue to work with Weber State and (Utah State University) … We try to work with partners throughout the state on developing educational programming and research,” Western said.

“We’re doing a lot of bird banding so that we can ensure that we’re tracking the migratory birds … We have a lot of beavers on the property, so we really do a lot of tracking of what they’re doing. We just continue to come up with new ideas all the time and and new projects.”

One recent project of note was the construction of a developed wetland area on the southeast corner of the property.

“That creates kind of a wet space for animals that live and breathe here on the Ogden Nature Center,” Western said. “So, a great project that has finally been completed.”

Western stresses that the myriad happenings at Ogden Nature Center wouldn’t be possible without the help of volunteers, who contribute a combined 10,000 hours on average each year. She added that people interested in volunteering their own time can do so by going to https://www.ogdennaturecenter.org/join-give/volunteer/ or contacting Volunteer Manager Heidi Austin via email at volunteer@ogdennaturecenter.org.