From dusk until dawn, for the duration of the spring bird migration, building owners, managers and tenants in San Francisco are being asked to turn off unnecessary lights or close drapes, draw blinds or pull shades to help reduce the incidences of collision that kill approximately 1 billion birds in North America each year.

In 2008, San Francisco joined with Pacific Gas and Electric Company and the Golden Gate Audubon Society to become one of the first cities to implement a “Lights Out”program. The program focuses on voluntary guidelines and recommendations for building owners and operators to turn off lights or draw window coverings during the migration period from Feb. 15 to April 30 of each year and again from Aug. 15 through Oct. 31 for the fall migration. Participants conserve energy, reduce carbon emissions, and save birds.
The program has since spread and is now active in 22 cities in the U.S. and Canada.

“Lights Out for Birdsis a simple, sensible way for people to help birds just by turning off lights or drawing shades,” said Michael Lynes, conservation director of the Golden Gate Audubon Society. “Collisions with windows, lit buildings and towers, and other manmade structures kill nearly 1 billion birds each year, including many migratory birds whose populations are already suffering significant declines. The program is a way for people living and working in San Francisco to make a positive contribution to bird conservation while saving energy and money.”

This spring, over 250 bird species will migrate through the Bay Area, some of which fly from South and Central America all the way to the Arctic tundra. Most migrate at night and use the stars and moon to navigate, which leaves them prone to being attracted by bright lights on tall buildings and communication towers. Some birds are compelled to fly toward the lights, resulting in confusion, exhaustion, injury, and sometimes death.

Anyone can participate merely be turning off unnecessary lights and drawing shades for lit rooms. Building owners and operators are encouraged to contact the San Francisco Department of the Environment for energy watch incentives and retrofits and their PG&E representatives for more information.

S.F. Environment’s mission is to improve, enhance, and preserve the environment and to promote San Francisco’s long-term environmental well being. To find out more about the wide range of programs that constitute a core part of the city & county’s vision for sustainability, visit www.sfenvironment.org.