Syracuse, N.Y. (NCC News) — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Office of General Services (OGS) have announced a new initiative to protect migrating birds, according to a joint press release from the departments this morning.
The ‘Lights-Out’ initiative encourages buildings and residents to turn off any unnecessary lights at night, joining a nation-wide effort to ensure the safety of birds travelling up north for the summer.
“Many species of shorebirds and songbirds rely on constellations to help them navigate to and from their summer breeding grounds through the state. Excessive outdoor lighting, especially in adverse weather conditions, can cause migrating birds to become disoriented, a phenomenon known as fatal light attraction,” according to the release.
“Reducing excessive outdoor lighting is an easy and practical step we can take to minimize one of the many dangerous obstacles birds face during their long annual migrations,” OGS Commissioner Jeannette Moy said.
As part of the initiative, state-owned buildings will turn out the lights from 11 p.m. to dawn during the extent of Spring Migration. This migration season goes from April 15 to May 31.
