Rules & Regulations
The Washington State Star Party wants to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone attending the event. Following these rules and regulations will help ensure that everyone at the event can have a great star party experience.
Please read through all of the following:
Duration of the Event
Official operations start at 9 A.M. on Tuesday, July 30th.
Anyone who has arrived prior to that time will be subject to any actions required by a Director, including moving your campsite. Early arrivers are required to check in when the Registration Tent opens.
The event officially ends on Sunday, August 4th
Jameson Lake is a state-run facility under all due jurisdictions with the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife being the primary stakeholder. As such, all attendees are subject to any laws, rules, regulations, policies and instruction from any duly authorized official, as well as the rules laid out for attendees by TMSPA.
Discover Pass is REQUIRED
A Washington Discover Pass is required to attend the event due to the property being under the administration of the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WaDFW). Your registration does NOT remove the requirement that you have a Discover Pass for your vehicle(s). We will NOT be able to issue Discover Passes onsite nor does WaDFW offer any capacity to issue onsite Discover Passes. An annual Discover Pass can be purchased through the Discover Pass website for $35, good for one year from the date of issue, or you can purchase one when you renew your vehicle registration with the Department of Licensing. There are also certain Washington fishing and hunting licenses that grant Discover Pass priviliges, please check if this applies if you hold one of those licenses.
Emergencies
If you have any problems or an emergency, please contact a Director at the Registration Tent, Info Booth or the Stuff Shack, or locate one of the Directors around the site. (Directors are easily recognized by their red shirts.)
The nearest facility with phone service is Jack's Resort from which 9-1-1 can be summoned. Due to the remote location, expect emergency services to take at least 30 minutes to arrive.
It would be advisable to bring a basic first aid kit for minor cuts, scrapes and bruises.
Registration Tent Hours
The Registration Tent hours will vary depending on our anticipated attendee arrivals for the day. Times will be posted on the Registration Tent for when it will be open, and it will be open at least an hour before dinner service so that you can pick up your meal tickets if you pre-ordered meals with your registration.
Late Arrivals
We realize that sometimes things happen that delay your travel plans and you may arrive to the site late.
If you arrive after 8:00 P.M., do not expect to be admitted onto the site. If you arrive after dark, PLEASE turn off your headlights! We will work to find a suitable arrangement if we can but cannot guarantee getting you into a site.
Expect a Director to meet you if you arrive after 10P.M. - Please follow any instructions they give you.
Anyone ignoring these conditions or the instructions of a Director will be subject to immediate removal from the event and cancellation of their registration.
Please check options that may be in the area that you may use if you cannot arrive before 8:00 P.M.
Public Property
Jameson Lake is public property, and the event is operating under permit to TMSPA by WaDFW. All attendees will be solely liable for any damages, intentional or accidental, they inflict on the property. TMSPA reserves the right to involve local law enforcement agencies as it deems necessary under the auspices of its permit with WaDFW.
Vehicles and Driving
Please limit your speed to a crawl. No one wants to have his or her telescope covered with dust just because you are in a hurry.
Driving in the dark is dangerous and can harm or even kill someone. Only in cases of extreme emergency will we allow any vehicle to move around the site after dark.
Parking and Camping Sites
All vehicles will be directed to a parking location designated by the TMSPA parking staff. Follow the directions of the parking staff at all times.
There are LIMITED in-and-out privileges. If you will be making daily excursions in your vehicle, we ask that you drive onto the site once to set up your camp and then park your vehicle in an area designated by TMSPA; ask at the Registration Tent or Info Booth as to where you can park your vehicle.
Camping is on a first come - first served basis. The parking staff will determine the amount of space for each site. Saving space between camping areas is not allowed unless approved by a Director. Please keep your campsite footprint as small as possible. There is a limited amount of space available to use for the event in which we must accomodate all the attendees.
Fires and Cooking
NO FIRES!!! The only acceptable cooking sources are propane grills, and propane or white gas cook stoves.
No fires are permitted anywhere on site. This includes cooking fires, traditional wood fires and charcoal briquettes. No fuel source that creates embers, coals or ashes may be used.
Smoking & Vaping
Please respect your fellow attendees when smoking or vaping. Cigarettes are to be disposed of in fireproof containers. If fire danger conditions in the area are extremely high, smoking may be restricted to only being allowed in your vehicle or a designated "safe" area by TMSPA.
Lighting restrictions
***** Red Light Only after 10:00 P.M. *****
No white lights of any kind are allowed after 10:00 P.M. Violation of this rule will likely result in your being chastised by your fellow astronomers.
If you see white lights after 10:00 P.M. please be polite and ask that they be extinguished - this is not an excuse for you to issue a yelling tirade at the offender! If you are unable to resolve the issue, locate a Director and let us handle the situation.
All vehicle headlights, parking lights, tail and brake lights must remain extinguished at all times unless you are moving your vehicle under the direction of the parking staff or a Director.
Please do not arm your car alarm system during the event, particularly at night. Thefts are extremely rare at TMSP, and while we want you to take any precautions you deem necessary to protect your valuables, having your car alarm go off at 3am is not very endearing to your fellow campers.
RV, trailer, and camper lights MUST remain extinguished unless there is proper shielding installed on all windows and doors, or red covers are on lighting fixtures.
Coleman-style lanterns or outdoor lighting of any type is NOT allowed.
Equip all flashlights with red filters and keep them pointed at the ground. Keep your flashlights to a maximum of two D-cell sizes or smaller. Larger lights, even LED lights or lights with red gel, produce too much intensity and can ruin dark-adapted sight.
Quiet Hours
Quiet Hours are from midnight to 10:00 A.M. Please respect your fellow campers and observers. Minimize your noise impact by keeping conversations hushed, music turned down or off, and any other source of noise down during this time.
Generators
Generator noise and fumes intrude on your neighbor's enjoyment of the outdoors. For that reason, generators can only be used from 10:00 A.M. until 10:00 P.M. regardless of where you are camped. Generators should have adequate spark-arrestors and be situated in locations away from combustible materials.
If you have a medical condition that requires generator use outside of the times allowed, please contact a Director for permission before operating your generator.
TMSPA and official services generators are exempt from this rule, however they will be in approved locations with adequate sound dampening installed.
Music
Please respect your neighbors and fellow viewers by keeping your music volume at a level that is not intrusive.
Laser Pointers
Due to the increased popularity of these devices and the safety concerns of our attendees, we have instituted a total ban of laser pointers of any color at TMSP. Collimation lasers are okay to use but care should be taken to not inadvertently affect someone's vision.
The only exception will be OFFICIAL TMSP use for Sky Tours or Identification programs. These programs will be conducted in specific areas only and will be concluded by Midnight.
Drones, RC aircraft, et al
Operation of drones or other remote-controlled vehicles must be approved by TMSP Directors.
Garbage, Porta-Potties, Wastewater
A dumpster is provided for your convenience. Please use it. You can help avoid higher costs by refraining from throwing away recyclable materials and taking them home with you. If you must throw away boxes or plastic jugs, please flatten them as much as possible.
We request that you keep your camping area litter-free and that you sweep your site for garbage prior to leaving. This keeps our impact on the site as minimal as possible.
Please do not put trash, animal waste, diapers, feminine hygene products or other inappropriate items in the Porta-Potties.
There is no dumping of your RV gray tanks on-site. Dumping gray or black water in the Porta-Potties is not allowed either. Illegal dumping will result in your being removed from the event.
Pets
Please leave your pets at home if at all possible. Loose roaming animals can cause damage to the equipment on site. If you absolutely must bring you pet, it must be leashed at all times while outside. Do not leave your animal unattended, even if it is on a leash.
Pets staked on leashes must be contained within the footprint of your campsite such that they cannot access the "public" areas such as the telescope field or onto a road.
Pet owners must pick up after their pets in all areas of site. No one wants to step in a mess caused by your pet in the middle of the night.
DO NOT USE THE PORTA-POTTIES FOR ANIMAL WASTE DISPOSAL. Bag it and put it in the garbage, please.
Bicycles
Bicycles can raise dust and there is a very high concentration of expensive equipment around that can potentially be damaged. For these reasons, there is no riding allowed in the main camping areas. Please walk you bike to the road for your ride.
Commercial Displays / Vending
Vendor permits are issued by WaDFW. This means that if you wish to sell any product you must register as a Vendor with WaDFW and pay all appropriate fees. Vendors may set up in the designated area only with prior TMSPA approval. Absolutely no displaying or selling of wares is permitted outside the confines of the Vendor area. If you do not register as a vendor and wish to sell items, the only place and time you may do so is in the Swap Meet on Saturday morning.
Anything not specifically covered under these rules will fall to the discretion of the TMSPA Directors to adjudicate resolution.
