Contact: Julie Ann Brown, Executive Director
Galveston Island Nature Tourism Council
(409) 789-8125/ dir@gintc.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The City of Galveston Proclaims “Lights Out Nights” to Aid Bird Migration
GALVESTON, Texas (April 21, 2021) – Mayor Craig Brown proclaimed April 19 – May 7, 2021 “Lights Out Nights” in Galveston, encouraging residents and business owners to turn off non-essential lights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. during peak spring migration in Texas.
It has been estimated that two billion birds migrate through Texas every year. Of these birds, the majority migrate at night. Because Galveston is situated along the Central Flyway, we see large numbers of birds moving through every Fall and Spring. Birds depend on the cover of night to migrate, and light pollution can play a deadly role in their journey. As a Bird City community, the City of Galveston is committed to helping reduce this threat by turning off non-essential lights and encourages residents and business owners to do the same.
Lights Out Texas is a statewide initiative that originated from Houston Audubon’s Lights Out for Birds program as a result of a large collision event in 2017 in Galveston. The program educates and encourages the reduction of light pollution and provides “lights out” alerts to cities and individuals. Galveston joins major cities such as Dallas and Houston in turning out their lights.
“We are thrilled that the City of Galveston is committed to providing safe passage for migratory birds in addition to their continued commitment to making Galveston more bird-friendly,” said Julie Ann Brown, Executive Director of the Galveston Island Nature Tourism Council (GINTC).
To learn more about this effort or to sign up to receive Lights Out Alerts for the region, visit https://birdcast.info/science-to-action/lights-out/
GINTC presents Galveston FeatherFest Birding and Nature Photography Festival, Galveston Winter Nature Program, Sea Turtle Saturday, Holiday with the Cranes and numerous educational programs at the East End Lagoon Nature Preserve as part of its mission is to connect people with Galveston’s natural environment. For further information, visit GalvestonNatureTourism.org.
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