Millions of birds pass through Connecticut every spring and fall on their way to and from their summer nesting grounds. Because our state is located along the Atlantic Flyway, many birds use our shorelines and green spaces to rest and refuel during their trip.
But light pollution has wreaked havoc on our night sky. Artificial light emitted by our homes, buildings, streetlights, 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. The result is catastrophic: There are nearly 2 billion bird deaths in North America each year.
Light pollution impacts other wildlife and human health as well.
Please come to learn about the problem and what could be done to mitigate the damage.
Presented by Leo Smith of DarkSky and
Craig Repasz of Lights Out Connecticut
Leo is the Chair of the Connecticut State Chapter of DarkSky International. He has also served for 18 years as the Northeast Regional Director for DarkSky, and was one of 7 members on the original Model Lighting Ordinance Task Force sponsored jointly by the Illuminating Engineering Society and DarkSky to develop national standards for minimizing light pollution caused by outdoor lighting. He was awarded the IES President’s Award in 2006 and the DarkSky Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.