The City of Fort Worth is promoting an educational campaign called Lights Out, Forth Worth! to promote awareness of migratory bird season and how light pollution impacts the environment.
The city discussed the initiative in a Friday press release. It explains that each year, hundreds of millions of birds migrate through the state and are subject to light pollution.
That light pollution has major consequences on our avian friends. Lights from buildings, particularly in urban areas, attract and disorient migrating birds, confusing and exhausting them and making them vulnerable to collisions with buildings.
Fortunately, it’s easy to reduce the impact of light pollution on migrating birds: Turning off lights dramatically reduces hazards and disorientation. That allows birds to safely proceed with their migratory journeys.
Therefore, the city encourages all Texans to turn off non-essential lights, at home and at work, at night between 11 p.m.-6 a.m. During this spring migration period from March 1-June 15, it is critical that humans reduce the use of lights—at the very least dimming them—so migrating birds don’t get disoriented.
Here are the relevant dates:
Spring Migration runs March 1-June 15
Critical Peak Migration runs April 22-May 12
The city already helps address light pollution by dimming its decorative lighting year-round during late-night hours. And downtown businesses and residents are also getting involved in the mission to help save the lives of birds on spring migration.
The Lights Out initiative is led by the National Audubon Society and Texan by Nature. Learn more on the program’s website.