The Louisiana Wildlife Federation is calling on building owners, businesses and residents to turn off unnecessary lighting from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. to help an estimated 500 million migratory birds pass through Louisiana safely. LWF member Charles Williams says migratory birds navigate by the light of the moon and stars, but bright lights can lead to fatal collisions.
(courtesy of Louisiana Wildlife Federation)
“Night lighting confuses them, disorients them and so forth. They end up running into buildings and either being badly injured or dying,” Williams explained.
Williams says this is the fall migration season, so they are asking the public to turn off outdoor lighting that’s non-essential for safety or operation during the night.
“For example, floodlights on a building, interior lobby lights on a building, security lights that run continuously,” Williams said.
Williams says a billion birds die every year from building collisions in North America. He says by turning off or dimming non-essential lights during peak migration hours, the public can help birds navigate safely.
“When we go to owners, they usually are pretty cooperative. They’ll say, ‘Yeah, we can do that,’ or ‘Oh, sorry, we hadn’t thought about that,’ or maybe they’ll think, ‘Hey, I can save on my electricity bill by saving birds,’” Williams said.
For more information, click on the following link:
Lights Out Louisiana – Louisiana Wildlife Federation
