An Update Regarding the Future Return of TMSP to the Table Mountain Site

The most frequent question the Directors of TMSPA have been asked since 2013 is "When are we going back to Table Mountain?"

The honest answer is, at this point we really don't know when - if ever - we'll be issued a permit from the Forest Service to use the Table Mountain site.

Since the fire in September of 2012, we have been in ongoing talks with our representatives at the Forest Service regarding obtaining the Special Use Permit we need to return to our traditional site. In the last round of talks through 2017, the general attitude of the Forest Service has been a continuing "wait and see" mentality about issuing permits. We have filed applications with the Forest Service with several options for areas of possible usage at the Table Mountain site, and the feedback from the Forest Service was that they would only consider the most restrictive option for site usage, which would limit us to less than 200 attendees. Our application was tabled through 2017 as the Forest Service eventually declined issuing us a permit.

Looking to the future, it seems somewhat unlikely that the Forest Service will relent and issue us a permit moving forward. We will continue our efforts to obtain a permit, but we are not hopeful. The major concern of the Forest Service is risk to attendees from dead, burned trees (termed "dead-falls") falling on people using the area. We're now entering the time period after a major fire - seven to twelve years post-fire - for dead-falls to peak. The Forest Service is also concerned about any large group using the site because of the impact it may have on the area in the process of recovering from a major fire.

Thus, it would seem, that the Table Mountain Star Party is going to be in a prolonged period of displacement from our namesake site.

TMSPA has known that, since theTable Mountain / Lion Rock area was re-opened to public access, there have been informal gatherings for an "alternate Table Mountain star party" put together through messaging on the various astronomy forums. Which is fine with us at TMSPA - we hold no dominion over the site and the public is free to do as they wish. Our only concern is that such gatherings could give the impression that TMSPA could also use the site but that we don't want to go back. That's not the case. TMSPA is at the complete mercy of the Forest Service for issuing us the Special Use Permit we need to hold the event there.

When we began searching for an alterate site, we knew there were going to have to be compromises made. Increased distance from Seattle and the Greater Puget Sound area where the bulk of our historic attendee base hails from was going to be the biggest problem. We looked at sites as far south as the Satus Pass / Goldendale area, east to the Quincy region and up through the Okanogan basin. When we found Eden Valley, it was the best site in terms of size, access and facilities. But it also added three hours to the travel time of our main attendee base. We hoped that the pluses of the Eden Valley location would help offset the detraction of distance; that has turned out not to be the case, as our attendance numbers have declined in the years since the Table Mountain Fire.

As an organization, we are approaching a crossroads in how to maintain a viable event for the community we serve. We are once again being forced to consider finding a new location for TMSP, but this is no easy task. Several of our Directors have spent countless hours and driven thousands of miles searching central Washington for possible alternate sites over the years. Such sites are virtually nonexistent, or fall under jurisdiction from agencies that require permitting processes and impose restrictions on our operation. There may be such a magical site out there - we just haven't found it yet.

Moving forward, we are dependent on the graces of our attendees for coming back regularly. Without your support, we have no Star Party to provide.

We are grateful for the support from the community of our attendees, and we look forward to serving you for many years to come.

Respectfully,
The TMSPA Board of Directors