Travis County Goes Lights Out

for Migratory Birds

Golden Cheeked Warbler / Courtesy of Fort Hood / Flickr

Category Archive: Lights Out Texas

  1. Travis County Goes Lights Out for Migratory Birds

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    Lights Out Texas is a campaign of education, awareness, and action that focuses on turning out lights at night during the spring and fall migrations to help protect the billions of migratory birds that fly over Texas annually. The goal of Lights Out Texas is to reduce migratory bird mortality by increasing statewide participation at the business, local official, municipal, and community levels, as well as collecting and reporting data.

    In Spring 2021, the Travis County Commissioners Court voted to turn off all non-essential lights in County buildings in downtown Austin during the peak of spring migration. The resolution also encouraged Travis County residents and businesses to turn off some of their lights to help save birds’ lives. Travis County said the effort had the added benefit of helping the community conserve electricity as Earth Day approached. It said lowering energy consumption aligns with the county’s Climate Action Plan and Resolution on Net Zero Carbon Emissions. Read more in this article from KVUE and read a full recap of Lights Out Texas efforts in Spring 2021.

    Fall 2021 Lights Out Resolution

    On August 10, Travis County issued another resolution, committing to turning off non-essential lights in its downtown buildings during all spring and fall bird migration seasons moving forward. They are exploring the possibility of expanding this resolution to all of their buildings in Travis County. Read more about the Lights Out Resolution from this recent article from the Austin Monitor or download the full text of the resolution from Travis County here.

    This fall we encourage all Texans to turn off non-essential lights at night from 11 pm – 6 am during the fall migration period of August 15 – November 30, and where conflicts apply, prioritize lights out during the critical peak fall migration period from September 5 to October 29.

    Every light turned out at night helps save migrating birds by reducing collisions with brightly lit buildings. As an added bonus, turning off non-essential lights also saves energy and money for cities, local businesses, and homeowners!

    “Turning out the lights will help protect migrating birds, including the endangered golden-cheeked warblers that breed in the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve and elsewhere in Central Texas. In addition, an important migratory corridor runs through Texas, so this effort will help protect birds coming from all across the country,” said Johanna Arendt, Community Liaison with Travis County Natural Resources.

    Golden-cheeked Warbler at the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. Photo: Tom Hausler
    Golden-cheeked Warbler at the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. Photo: Tom Hausler

    Travis County’s Facilities Management Department (FMD) is implementing the following practices where feasible to reduce non-essential lighting during the designated periods.

    • Travis County’s Facilities Management Department (FMD) is implementing the following practices to ensure their non-essential lighting is off during the designated periods.
    • The Facilities Management Department (FMD) has changed the custodians’ work schedule to end at 11:00 PM
    • Custodians working on cleaning floors make sure the lights are off before they proceed to the next floor
    • FMD security staff, the night patrol shift, walks the buildings on the inside to make sure it is secure and at the same time to turn off any lights that have been left on
    • FMD security monitors cameras on all Travis County buildings to report any lights that are on after 11:00 PM
    • FMD set the HMS Courthouse Exterior lighting timer so that non-essential lights will be turned off at 10:00 PM during the critical bird migration period
    • For the record and control, the night shift security staff takes photos of our buildings to document that the lights are off
    • If any lights are on in a particular office or floor after 11:00 PM as shown by the photos, FMD will investigate the light sensor control or switch control in that office or floor to make sure that the lighting system is working
    • FMD performs light sensor controls and switch control checks to make sure that they are functioning properly
      After 11:00 PM, all 11 of the County’s downtown buildings’ lights should be off except for emergency lights.

    Learn More

    About Travis County

    Travis County is located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the Edwards Plateau, and is divided north to south by the Balcones Escarpment. Home to the majority of the city of Austin, Travis County encompasses both dense urban areas and wide open spaces, especially to the west and east. With a population of over 1.2 million, it is the fifth largest county in Texas, and one of the fastest growing communities in the country.

     

     

  2. Lights Out Texas – Spring 2021 Recap

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    Lights Out Texas is a campaign of education, awareness, and action that focuses on turning out lights at night during the spring and fall migrations to help protect the billions of migratory birds that fly over Texas annually. The goal of Lights Out Texas is to reduce migratory bird mortality by increasing statewide participation at the business, local official, municipal, and community levels, as well as collecting and reporting data.

    This effort was originally launched in 2017 by Houston Audubon and American National Insurance Company following a major bird collision event involving 400 birds in Galveston. Right around this time, Cornell Lab of Ornithology developed their BirdCast migration forecast maps using historical radar data. Later, Lights Out Texas took hold in Dallas-Fort Worth, led by Texas Conservation Alliance, The Perot Museum of Nature and Science, and Dallas Zoo with The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Colorado State University supporting efforts and Texan by Nature helping with outreach in Fall 2020. In 2021, Texan by Nature (TxN) collaborated with these leading organizations to facilitate Lights Out Texas at the statewide level in order to standardize the approach to messaging, communication, and volunteer efforts across all Texas organizations.

    As fall bird migration quickly approaches, please save the date for going lights out at night:

    • Full Fall Migration Period: August 15 – November 30
    • Critical Peak Migration Period: September 5 – October 29

    We hope you will join us in turning out lights at night from 11 pm to 6 am throughout fall migration and celebrate the success the success from spring bird migration below.

    Spring 2021 Lights Out Texas Campaign by the Numbers

    • Social media and outreach toolkits were distributed to 100+ conservation organizations across Texas.
    • Outreach to media outlets resulted in 62 earned media placements receiving 195,581,331 impressions.
    • 501 earned social media posts reached 7,557,405 accounts, receiving 112,552 likes/reactions and 38,786 shares.
    • Through email outreach efforts, 800+ businesses operating in Texas were targeted with Lights Out Texas messaging and 36 businesses confirmed participation in turning out lights at night for migrating birds.
    • Seven cities and one county made proclamations. (View the list below)
    • Individuals, municipalities, and businesses made 216 Lights Out Texas pledges through Texas Conservation Alliance’s Lights Out for Wildlife Certification, and an additional 301 pledges were made with The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
    • Seven organizations conducted on-the-ground volunteer efforts to understand bird-building collisions, 173 people contributed 1,203 volunteer hours and documented 382 bird casualties.

    Media Highlights

    Check out these social media posts, quotes, and articles featuring Lights Out Texas from this past spring.

    Laura Bush

    “Laura Bush: Texans, Turn Out the Lights at Night to Help Migrating Birds”, was featured in the Dallas Morning News.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Laura Bush (@laurawbush)

    Texas Businesses

    Companies across Texas, like Phillips66, Marathon Petroleum, American Campus Communities, Hibernia Resources, and many others got involved by turning out their lights at night during migration season. Read more about American Campus Communities’ involvement in Lights Out Texas in this blog post.

    Hibernia Resources is excited to participate in this program and it further proves that common sense collaboration works with minimal effort on both sides,” said Embry Canterbury, CEO, Hibernia Resources.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Phillips 66 (@phillips66co)

    Conservation Organizations

    Conservation organizations across Texas conducted volunteer efforts in conjunction with Lights Out Texas to better understand bird-building collisions and bird-migration dynamics. Texas A&M University, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Oklahoma State University, Texan by Nature, Houston Audubon, Texas Conservation Alliance, Perot Museum of Nature and Science, and Travis Audubon collaborated to develop standardized volunteer guides and training videos to guide statewide efforts.

    It’s not often you can make a positive difference in the world by simply flipping a switch, but combined with the efforts of the other participants, that’s exactly what we’re going to do,”said Linda Silver, Eugene McDermott Chief Executive Officer of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Al Smith (@alsmithhawaii)

    Municipal Proclamations

    Seven cities and one county across Texas made Lights Out Texas proclamations:

    *These cities made proclamations in Fall 2020 as well.

    Thank You!

    A special thank you to Heather Prestridge, Curator, Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections, Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology at Texas A&M University for providing support, expertise, and expediting permits and sub permits needed for volunteers to collect specimens and to Tania Homayoun, Ph.D., Texas Nature Trackers Biologist at Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for support, expertise, and for creating an iNaturalist project for Lights Out Texas.

    A big thank you goes out to the following organizations that made Lights Out Texas possible for the 2021 Spring campaign:

    Lights Out Texas Founding and Coordinating Organizations

    Lights Out Texas Supporting Organizations

    Learn More

    Please visit https://birdcast.info/science-to-action/lights-out/ for more information and contact info@texanbynature.org if you are interested in setting up a meeting/presentation to learn more about Lights Out Texas.

     

     

  3. American Campus Communities Joins Lights Out Texas

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    American Campus Communities, Inc. (ACC) is the largest owner, manager and developer of high-quality student housing communities in the United States. The student housing company is a fully integrated, self-managed and self-administered equity real estate investment trust (REIT) with expertise in the design, finance, development, construction and operational management of student housing communities. As of March  31, 2021, American Campus Communities owned 166 student housing properties containing approximately 111,900 beds. Pairing its owned and third-party managed properties, ACC’s total managed portfolio consisted of 207 properties with approximately 142,400 beds. 

    In every community design, ACC prioritizes sustainability not only for operational efficiencies and cost savings but also for the well-being of student residents.

    This spring, ACC is turning out non-essential lights at night at its communities in the following university markets for migratory birds as part of a statewide initiative, Lights Out Texas:

    Texas is globally important for birds. Approximately 1 of every 3 birds migrating through the U.S. in spring, and 1 of every 4 birds migrating through the U.S. in the fall, or nearly two billion birds, pass through Texas. Protecting birds in Texas promotes conservation of bird populations across the Americas.

    “One of our core values is to ‘do the right thing’ and that includes supporting conservation efforts across the country in our student communities,” said Jennifer Beese, chief operating officer at American Campus Communities. “Joining the Lights Out Texas initiative is an immediate action that we can take as a Texas-based business to do our part to ensure millions of birds migrate successfully while also educating our residents on conservation.” 

    What measures is ACC taking to participate in Lights Out Texas?

    At 36 of its communities, ACC will turn out non-essential lights at night from 11pm-6pm to help birds successfully migrate across our region. 

    How is ACC messaging Lights Out Texas to it’s community members? 

    ACC is encouraging residents through social media to turn off all non-essential lights. 

    What advice would ACC provide to another company that is considering joining the Lights Out Texas initiative?

    We believe that the value generated by operational efficiency and sustainable practices benefits us not only as a company but also extends to our shareholders and for generations to come. Sustainability and conservation efforts is an area where we can all take on a leadership role, across multiple industries, to do our part for the environment. 

    The Lights Out Texas effort is led by a coalition of partners that includes conservation non-profits, universities, governmental organizations, and Texans dedicated to the conservation of birds. The initiative is asking all Texans to turn off their non-essential lights at night from 11 PM – 6 AM through the full spring migration of March 1 – June 15. Where conflicts apply, it is suggested to prioritize the peak migration period between April 19 – May 7, when half of the total spring bird migration traffic passes through Texas.

    How you can participate in Lights Out Texas:

    Guidelines for Everyone:

    • Turn off all non-essential lights from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. each night.
    • Do not use landscape lighting to light up trees or gardens where birds may be resting.
    • For essential lights (like security lighting) use the following dark skies friendly lighting practices:
      • Aim lights down
      • Use lighting shields to direct light downwards and to avoid light shining into the sky or trees
      • Use motion detectors and sensors so lights are only on when you need them
      • Close blinds at night to reduce the amount of light being emitted from windows

    Additional Guidelines for Buildings Taller Than 3 Stories:

    • Extinguish or dim: Exterior and decorative lighting (i.e. spotlights, logos, clock faces, greenhouses, and antenna lighting); lobby/atrium lighting; and lighting in perimeter rooms on all levels of the building.
    • Avoid: Floodlights; illuminating interior plants or fountains, and unoccupied floors; scheduling cleaning crews after dark; and blue-rich white light emissions (lighting with a color temperature of over 3000
      Kelvins).
    • Use: Desk lamps or task lighting rather than overhead lights; blinking lighting in place of continuously
      burning lights; and warm light sources (less than 3000 Kelvin) for outdoor lighting.

    Lights Out Texas Recognition Opportunities:

    • If a company is seeking a deeper level of recognition, via a write-up, Texan by Nature can recognize companies through the Texan by Nature Certification program. Certified projects are highlighted on TxN website via a mini case study webpage and on TxN social media channels, newsletter, etc.
    • Your commitment to go lights out is newsworthy, check out this social media toolkit to share on your channels.

    Lights Out Texas Migration Radar & Alerts:

    Learn more about Lights Out Texas here: https://birdcast.info/science-to-action/lights-out/ 

    Learn more about American Campus Communities on their website. Did you know they were also selected as a Texan by Nature 20 honoree in 2019 and 2020 for their commitment to sustainability and conservation?

     

  4. Lights Out Texas: How It All Started

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    Did you know that 1 out of every 3 birds migrating through the U.S. in spring passes through Texas? That means approximately one billion birds travel through the Lone Star State during spring migration! Because most migratory birds fly at night, bright lights of commercial and residential buildings can attract and disorient birds, causing collisions with highly reflective and clear glass windows and leaving birds vulnerable to threats on the ground. Read more about how Houston Audubon banded together to launch their Lights Out Birds program in 2017 and how it turned into a statewide initiative – Lights Out Texas.

    TxN: How and why did Houston Audubon’s Lights Out for Birds program begin? 

    Houston Audubon: Houston Audubon manages a long-running suite of programs that address urban threats to birds, including collisions and lighting. Early grassroots data collection efforts began approximately ten years ago in Houston, but it was not until a major bird collision event involving 400 birds in Galveston in 2017 that partnership efforts began in earnest and created the momentum for significant change. Houston Audubon and American National agreed that a science-based response to the event in spring 2017 would be well-received, and a Lights Out workshop was conducted in Galveston involving community leaders and conservationists, with ornithologist Daniel Klem providing the keynote address. Right around this time, Cornell Lab of Ornithology developed their BirdCast migration forecast maps using historical radar data. By looking at these maps and tracking weather for the region, Houston Audubon staff was able to make science-based determinations of when birds have the greatest risk of collision. During these periods of high risk, Houston Audubon would release Lights Out Action Alerts on social media, tagging government officials and encouraging residents to share the alerts and participate in Lights Out at work and at home. Houston Audubon continued to grow the program and started taking pledges from community members interested in participating in Lights Out for Birds, providing Action Alerts directly to the community members’ email inboxes. 

    TxN: What organizations and companies were initially involved in the initiative?

    Houston Audubon: American National Insurance Company was the building that inspired the program, and was thus the first participant. The company has been great at participating in Lights Out Texas each Spring and Fall. Additionally, without the help of the BirdCast Technology, the initiative could not have been as successful as it is today. We were always so excited to get a BirdCast or Cornell Lab of Ornithology retweet or share! 

    TxN: What is BirdCast and why is it important?

    Houston Audubon: The BirdCast program is not only what makes Houston Audubon’s Lights Out for Birds program so great, but is really the driving factor behind the success of the program, and of the larger Lights Out Texas initiative that is in place today. By using Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Colorado State University’s BirdCast program, Houston Audubon staff are able to track predicated migration levels and weather forecasts to make science-based determinations of when birds are at the greatest risk of collision. The accessibility of this information, thanks to the BirdCast migration maps, made it possible to make these recommendations based on actual data, not just wild guesses of when birds may be moving through a region. Finally, the visually appealing and easy-to-understand maps that BirdCast produces allow for interesting visuals, appealing to the public and inspiring them to participate in the program, protecting birds with one simple action.

    TxN: What was the communities’ response to Hoston Audubon’s Lights Out for Birds program when it began? 

    Houston Audubon: The community support for our Lights Out for Birds program has been phenomenal. We are always blown away by how many people comment and share our Lights Out Action Alerts! We believe that knowing there is a simple action that people can take to help birds migrating through our region really appeals to many. It is such a simple action that can potentially save birds. The next hurdle is getting more companies and building managers on board as well. This is well underway thanks to the statewide Lights Out Texas Initiative made possible by a partnership with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Texan by Nature, and many others.

    TxN: How did the role of collaboration fuel the success of Lights Out for Birds and for Lights Out Texas? 

    Houston Audubon: At its inception in Houston, Lights Out for Birds was an entirely grassroots effort to protect migrating birds flying through the region. We relied heavily on public participation and interest to drive our efforts, while also starting to lay the foundation for getting more buildings and the City government on board. When the Cornell Lab of Ornithology approached us about partnering to expand the project, it was a no-brainer! The additional partners Cornell included in this effort, from Texan by Nature to all the other city organizations gave this program the reach that it needed to start making a bigger difference not only in Houston, but across the entire state. The collaboration between all of these organizations has been integral in getting governmental support, coordinating a statewide collision monitoring program, and in amplifying all of our voices to achieve great things for migratory birds! 

    TxN: What are the lessons learned and best practices that you would take away from starting a Lights Out program? 

    Houston Audubon:  Our personal takeaway from being involved with this program since its very early stages is that it is OK to start small with a conservation/advocacy effort like this. By using the tools at hand and responding to conservation needs, organizations can end up making a big difference for the species they are working to protect. Another important lesson learned was the recognition that most people want to find practical solutions. In the aftermath of a terrible event, businesses, experts, and residents worked together to reduce the risk of bird collisions.

    TxN: What is one thing you wish every Texan knew about bird migration and turning out Lights Out?

    Houston Audubon: We want every Texan to know how cool it is that we have so many diverse birds coming through our state every year! I think many Texans don’t realize how biologically diverse their state is, so we would love to expose more Texans to the wildlife that rely on their home state. Texas is massively important for North America’s migratory birds, and we have a Texas-sized responsibility to protect our shared natural heritage. Keeping the stars at night, big and bright would not only help migratory wildlife find their way home, but it would help all Texans connect with nature.

    TxN: What is your hope for Light Out Texas’ future?

    Houston Audubon: The partnership and efforts that have come from the Lights Out Texas program this year have far exceeded what we thought was possible in such a short period of time! We are so excited to welcome the  City of Houston as a participant and supporter of the Lights Out Texas initiative! We also hope that our current statewide collision monitoring efforts can inform our conservation and advocacy efforts going forward, making the program even more effective at helping migratory birds make it through our state safely each spring and fall. Overall, the goal for Lights Out Texas is to develop practical solutions that reduce wildlife mortality and inspire us to celebrate nature. 

    Learn More About Lights Out Texas and How You Can Get Involved:

    Today, Lights Out Texas has become a statewide initiative, led by a coalition of partners that includes conservation non-profits, universities, governmental organizations, and Texans dedicated to the conservation of birds. The initiative is asking all Texans to turn off their non-essential lights at night from 11 PM – 6 AM through the full spring migration of March 1 – June 15. Where conflicts apply, it is suggested to prioritize the peak migration period between April 19 – May 7, when half of the total spring bird migration traffic passes through Texas.

    How you can participate in Lights Out Texas:

    Guidelines for Everyone:

    • Turn off all non-essential lights from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. each night.
    • Do not use landscape lighting to light up trees or gardens where birds may be resting.
    • For essential lights (like security lighting) use the following dark skies friendly lighting practices:
      • Aim lights down
      • Use lighting shields to direct light downwards and to avoid light shining into the sky or trees
      • Use motion detectors and sensors so lights are only on when you need them
      • Close blinds at night to reduce the amount of light being emitted from windows

    Additional Guidelines for Buildings Taller Than 3 Stories:

    • Extinguish or dim: Exterior and decorative lighting (i.e. spotlights, logos, clock faces, greenhouses, and antenna lighting); lobby/atrium lighting; and lighting in perimeter rooms on all levels of the building.
    • Avoid: Floodlights; illuminating interior plants or fountains, and unoccupied floors; scheduling cleaning crews after dark; and blue-rich white light emissions (lighting with a color temperature of over 3000
      Kelvins).
    • Use: Desk lamps or task lighting rather than overhead lights; blinking lighting in place of continuously
      burning lights; and warm light sources (less than 3000 Kelvin) for outdoor lighting.

    Lights Out Texas Recognition Opportunities:

    • If a company is seeking a deeper level of recognition, via a write-up, Texan by Nature can recognize companies through the Texan by Nature Certification program. Certified projects are highlighted on TxN website via a mini case study webpage and on TxN social media channels, newsletter, etc.
    • Your commitment to go lights out is newsworthy, check out this social media toolkit to share on your channels.

     Lights Out Texas Migration Radar & Alerts:

    Learn more about Lights Out Texas here: https://birdcast.info/science-to-action/lights-out/ 

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