Guilford Conservation Commission Calls for ‘Lights Out’

The Guilford Conservation Commission, via Lights Out Connecticut (LOC), is asking Connecticut residents, businesses, schools, churches, and nonprofits to pledge to turn off their unnecessary outdoor and indoor lighting from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. each night during peak bird migration (spring: April 1 to May 31; and fall: Aug. 15 to Nov. 15) to reduce the risk of light pollution to migrating birds.

According to LOC, artificial light emitted by buildings, street lights, bridges, and other structures can confuse and disorient birds, causing them to land near buildings, crash into windows, and/or circle around for hours until they drop from exhaustion. This can be made worse by weather patterns that force them to fly lower and closer to buildings. The organization estimates that one billion birds die each year in collisions with windows.

LOC was launched in February 2022 in response to the need to protect the millions of migratory birds that rest and nest in Connecticut each year. Before becoming part of the Menunkatuck Audubon Society, it began as a nonprofit project of the Connecticut Ornithological Association. It works with similar organizations around the state, including a number of Audubon groups.