letter to the editor

Dear Editor:

Let’s make Albany more bird-friendly by being a Lights Out community.

Help protect migrating birds this fall by going Lights Out! Turn off all non-essential lights from 11pm – 6am every night, especially during peak migration Sept. 5 – Oct. 29!

Because many birds migrate at night using natural light cues like the moon and stars, bright lights and sky glow can confuse them, causing some to collide with windows and walls while others circle in confusion until exhaustion overcomes them. Fortunately, a simple thing like turning out lights can help birds navigate our environment and protect them from unnecessary harm.

Participating in Lights Out is easy, simply:

Turn off unnecessary lighting (especially near the tops of buildings)

Put necessary lighting on timers or use motion sensors

Make sure external lighting is down shielded

It is particularly important to take these measures between the hours of midnight and sunrise (when most night migrants are flying) and during spring and fall migration periods (April/May and September/October).

In addition to helping birds, these efforts have additional benefits of reducing energy usage and saving money. We hope we can count on you to support and lead efforts to implement Lights Out here in our community.

By making these simple changes in Albany, we truly can have a positive impact on the birds that share our community.

Thank you,

Amy & Patrick Kelly