Please visit the Sky Meadows State Park site for directions, park rules and regulations and general information.

11012 Edmonds Lane, Delaplane, VA 20144-0710
Observing Field Coordinates: N 38.990833, W 77.965556
Elevation: 868 ft
NOVAC Site Coordinator: Woody Davis
NOVAC Volunteer Coordinator: Paul Derby
To email the Sky Meadows Volunteer Coordinator click here

Sky Meadows State Park, a designated International Dark Sky Park, has formed a partnership with NOVAC to support their monthly Astronomy for Everyone programs and other public astronomy events.

All NOVAC members are invited to participate at the park’s public events as public attendees. There are no special additional “perks” for NOVAC members when attending as a public participant. Use the above link to access the park’s web page for full details on public events, access hours, lodging, camping, and parking fees. The monthly Astronomy for Everyone event is usually 3 hours long and starts with a short program including a presentation by NOVAC member and JPL Ambassador Dr. Woody Davis. Following the program, the park invites public attendees to interact with the NOVAC volunteers. Public attendees are also invited to bring binoculars or a telescope for personal observing and may stay until the event ends. They must move their equipment between the public parking areas and the observing field. This might be a fair distance since these events generally draw several hundred attendees. Public attendees set up their equipment scattered across the observing field.  If you come as a public attendee arrive an hour or so before the event to improve your chance for closer parking.

NOVAC members may also apply to become a NOVAC Sky Meadows Volunteer. Volunteers are treated as an extension of park staff and interact directly with the public sharing their astronomy equipment and knowledge and answering questions. NOVAC volunteers are encouraged to wear NOVAC logo clothing and to set up as a group along the observing field rail fence.

As a volunteer you commit to supporting one Sky Meadows dark sky event each year. The Astronomy for Everyone event is monthly, rain or shine. If the weather prevents observing, the program presentation is moved to one of the barns. As a volunteer you will be able to park in a restricted area adjacent to the observing field to more easily move your equipment to and from your vehicle. NOVAC Volunteers set up along the rail fence on the observing side. You cannot drive your car onto the field, but you may park directly across the fence from where you wish to set up and use the gate to move your equipment onto the observing field or lift your equipment over or through the fence onto the viewing field.

The rules for observing at Sky Meadows State Park are somewhat different from the rules for most of our other observing sites.  To observe at Sky Meadows, as you normally do at a site like Crockett or Camp High Road, you must become an authorized NOVAC Sky Meadows volunteer.  If you are not a volunteer you may still attend public events such as Astronomy for Everyone but you must leave the park at the  end of the event and pay the parking fee to park in the public area.  It is best to become a Sky Meadows volunteer.

You apply as a volunteer by completing the form below and emailing your request to Virginia State Parks following the instructions below.  Your application will be processed and if the results meet the state’s approval (no outstanding arrest warrants, etc.) you will be notified by VA State Parks and added to the NOVAC Sky Meadows Volunteers group. If the background check fails only the applicant is notified. After approval the NOVAC coordinator, Paul Derby, will send you the usage agreement with orientation information to read. The NOVAC coordinator will also provide you with the after hours access code which changes the first Tuesday of each month. The NOVAC coordinator will also send you an invite to join the NOVAC Sky Meadows Volunteer Group so be sure  that you accept the group invite to receive updates and current gate code information. 

There are substantial benefits gained from becoming a volunteer. You are exempted from paying parking and camping fees when actively supporting the events. You have unlimited after hours access to the park for your own personal observing. You may set up your equipment next to your car inside the access road fenced area. You cannot camp overnight in this area, but you can stay in your car next to your equipment.  You may bring your immediate household members or up to two friends with you after hours as long as everyone travels in one vehicle and stays together with you, the volunteer and visitor escort,  during the visit.

If you have any questions about this program or the volunteer process please reach out to us. We will happily answer any questions and welcome comments and suggestions for this program and this web page.

For reference, here is the official  MOA with Sky Meadows State Park. Please note the directions provided above and any email directions sent from NOVAC Sky Meadows coordinators or Sky Meadows current policies  will take precedence over the MOA.   NOVAC and Sky Meadows will jointly update the MOA periodically to reflect the above direction and any other changes required.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BACKGROUND CHECK AUTHORIZATION FORM – NOVAC VOLUNTEERS

  • Enter legal Last Name, First Name and Middle Name
  • Enter other legal names you may have had. Enter N/A if none.
  • Date of birth format: MM/DD/YYYY
  • Race enter: White, Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaskan Native or Unknown
  • Gender: put X in one block
  • SSN: last 4 digits of Social Security Number
  • Physical address where you live: number, street. Add  APT or Unit or STE if applicable.  No PO Box or UPS box addresses
  • Enter City, State, ZIP of above address
  • Email Address:  Must match email address you have provided NOVAC for your membership
  • Mobile phone: format ###-###-####
  • Other Number:  home or other alternate phone number that you use.  N/A if no other
  • ID#: Driver’s License number. Example format T12345678 Virginia
  • Position: Dark Sky Volunteer
  • State Park/ Location: Sky Meadows
  • Signature and date:  Print the form out and sign in ink.  Name can NOT be typed or printed.

Scan and sign and date the completed form and email to:  skvolunteer@dcr.virginia.gov, write  NOVAC MEMBER BACKGROUND CHECK in the subject line.

Background-Check-Authorization-FormDownload