We need your help to pass the "Lights Out NYC" bills in the NYC Council to save the lives of thousands of migrating birds from deadly nighttime building collisions! These bills are getting a full VOTE in the Council on Wednesday, so they need to hear from you today!
TAKE ACTION:
Call or email your NYC Council member TODAY and ask them to save the lives of thousands of migrating birds by voting YES on the "Lights Out NYC" legislation, Intros 265, 271, and 274, sponsored by Council Member Helen Rosenthal and Justin Brannan. Find your NYC Councimember HERE.
New Yorkers have become accustomed to finding thousands of dead or seriously injured migratory birds at the feet of taller buildings. We can help prevent these needless bird deaths!
Light pollution alone is responsible for the deaths of between 300 million and 1 billion birds every year in the US – which exceeds the entire human population of the United States.
Migratory birds are drawn to light. On evenings during migration season, birds will alter their paths to approach areas with increased light pollution. Unfortunately, these areas will cause them to lose their way and are often the most dangerous for the birds, as they are replete with tall, glass buildings. The deadly results are predictable.
Three bills, introduced this legislative session, could save countless birds’ lives by requiring city-owned buildings and spaces to turn off non-essential lighting between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. during the city’s peak avian migratory periods. The “Lights Out NYC” legislation allows for security lighting and lighting in buildings where people work at night.
The campaign — currently backed by more than a dozen bird and animal protection organizations, — notes that in addition to saving innocent lives, the legislation also would save electricity and reduce negative disruptions on people’s sleep.