It sits in a lovely valley, this source of Canada's pride. Opened in 1960,under the umbrella of the National Research Council, the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO) was designed to study radio-wave energy from gases throughout the Universe. It's a wonderful place to take visitors, especially throughout the summer months, when guided tours are available from 10:00am - 5:00pm every weekend in July and August. A number of huge antennas sit on a track and can be moved. This is the seven-dish Synthesis telescope, one of the inventions for which DRAO is renowned. But the giant 26 metre antenna used to study the distribution of gases in the Milky Way galaxy certainly arrests the eye and dominates the whole of the Observatory's signal devices.

Scientists looking deep into the intricacies of the Milky Way by means of this huge telescope see gas clouds that have been called "nature's recycling depots". They contain gas and dust that are largely the remains of dead stars. Even as these stars are dying, new stars are being born.

Powerful computers are used to transfer the signals received to an image on a screen that can then be studied. So in modern astronomy, computers are immensely important. In fact, they have become almost as useful as the telescopes themselves.

Even more powerful than the huge radio telescope is the newer "aperture-synthesis" radio telescope, the one that consists of seven dishes, each 9 metres in diameter. These allow scientists to combine seven readings, creating a detailed picture of an area in the heavens. If this detailed picture were obtained by using only a single antenna, it would require a dish 600 metres across!

The work of the Observatory is always expanding. One of the latest initiatives says Ted Landecker, who oversees all operations, is to foster collaboration with highly technical companies. Some land has been leased to these companies. And more recently, in 2006 itself, a research grant has allowed collaboration with a European space mission, called the PLANK mission, designed to investigate the early universe. So the Research Station is constantly widening its horizons.

I like to take visitors to the area by the longer, winding, more scenic route that starts at Okanagan Falls campground. Almost immediately the road begins to climb, passing a vineyard and leading to Green Lake, with its enchanting hues, Mahoney Lake (which has attracted worldwide scientific attention because of its strange purple-bacteria layer) and then past a few houses and farms to the height above White Lake itself. Stop there and listen for Meadowlarks calling. You may also be rewarded by the sight of bluebirds, both western and Mountain types. Many other species will reward the patient observer. This area is a bird-watchers' paradise.

As you descend into the valley, you will come to the gates of the Observatory itself. During the week, park there and walk in. Even a vehicle entering will disturb the delicate radio waves that the scientists are studying. A neat little building dedicated to explanations of the work of the Observatory, is within walking distance. It's pleasant, after studying the information provided there, to eat a picnic lunch at the table so thoughtfully provided and listen to the birds.

The whole valley always reminds me of what the Okanagan would be if preserved in its natural state. The site of the Observatory was chosen in 1959 as an area that could be protected from human interference. Mountains surround it, and large tracts of land guard the Observatory from incoming signals that could obscure the delicate work that is going on. Much of land immediately surrounding the Observatory belongs to the operation itself. Some belongs to the Nature Trust, and another large, convoluted area is contained in the White Lake Grasslands Provincial Park, which extends over to Vaseaux Lake. So the work of worldwide importance is preserved. And as a spin-off, a most beautiful area is also available to the nature lover.

One treat for bird-watchers visiting the region is the site of a large osprey nest that sits on top of a flat-topped antenna not far from the Information Building. The osprey pair started building one fall a few years ago, but stopped to make their annual winter trek south. Returning in the spring, they completed the nest and hatched their baby. Since then a yearly watch is carried out by the Observatory crew to see on what date the faithful parents return to carry out their annual family duties!

So whether you are a student of the Universe, or merely an impassioned admirer of the Okanagan itself, you owe yourself a visit to the White Lake Observatory area, preferably during a summer weekend when guided tours make your visit especially worthwhile. And be sure to take the children. They will be fascinated by the Observatory itself - and what better way to introduce them to the "true" Okanagan?

Dodi Morrison