Mt. Megantic Park shares the name with Lac Megantic, the town that made headlines around the world following the horrific accident that occurred in the early morning hours of July 6th.
A runaway train took 72 cars filled with crude oil down the hill, derailing into a series of explosions that levelled 40 buildings, destroying the main centre for the region.
There is 50 kilometres between the two locations, but they are closely linked. The emotional toll on the staff, half of whom lost friends and loved-ones in the disaster, has been significant, but they are eager to keep working and sharing the beauty of the region by day and night.
Mt. Megantic Park is one of Canada’s national parks. These are protected natural areas that represent distinct geographical regions of the country. Mt. Megantic became a national park in 1994, and under this government umbrella, it allows people to visit and make use of the 54 square kilometres, while preserving it for generations to come.
In 2007 the park was declared an International Dark Sky Reserve, and every effort has been made to keep the surrounding light in the region dimmed and covered. This complements the unique aspect of this park as it is home to two observatories. One is scientific, featuring a Ritchey-Chrétien telescope, the most powerful of this type in North America. It is used by the University of Montreal and Laval University as they are the owners. The other, is the Astrolab which welcomes people to come up and see the night sky a little closer.
The Mont Mégantic Astronomy Festival, is an event that usually takes place in early July. The next big event will be the Perseids in mid-August. Visitors are invited up the mountain, to get cozy in their sleeping bags and lie back and scream with the sighting of a shooting star.
Carmel Kilkenny spoke with Marie-Georges Belanger, head of customer relations at Mt. Megantic National Park, to find out more:
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