Official City Release
Lights Out, Fort Worth! Migratory bird season is here
Mentioned Entities
Analysis
Overview
Fort Worth is promoting 'Lights Out, Fort Worth!', an educational campaign urging residents and businesses to turn off non-essential lights between 11 p.m.
Environment
Insights by Role
Resident
MediumMedium significance — notable action worth trackingThe peak migration window of April 22–May 12 begins in approximately two weeks, making this an actionable near-term behavior change. Turning off non-essential lights between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. during that window is the primary ask, with the full season running through June 15.
Journalist
LowLow significance — routine or procedural itemCity Hall's decorative lighting is dimmed year-round during late-night hours — not just during migration season — suggesting an established municipal policy that predates this campaign. It is worth verifying whether this policy extends to other city-owned facilities and whether the city has tracked associated energy savings.
Source Text
Open source →What is Lights Out, Fort Worth?
The Lights Out initiative is an educational campaign of awareness and action focused on encouraging residents and organizations to switch off lights at night to protect migrating birds. Each year, hundreds of millions of birds migrate through our great state of Texas and are subject to light pollution.
How can you help?
All Texans are encouraged to turn off non-essential lights, at home and at work, at night between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. During spring migration period, March 1-June 15, particularly during peak migration, April 22-May 12, it is critical to reduce the use of lights — at the very least dimming them — so migrating birds do not get disoriented.
Spring migration: March 1-June 15
Spring migration: March 1-June 15
Critical peak migration: April 22-May 12
Critical peak migration: April 22-May 12
Fort Worth is taking action
Businesses and residents in downtown Fort Worth, including City of Fort Worth’s City Hall, have already joined the mission to help save the lives of birds as they begin their spring migration. The decorative lighting on City Hall is dimmed year-round during late-night hours, not just during peak bird migration.
The City of Fort Worth is committed to protecting birds and to saving energy as well. Participating in this initiative is a great way to do both. Residents and businesses, not just downtown, can reduce light pollution at night for a few hours to support this effort.
Why does it matter?
The goal is to protect billions of birds as they migrate across the United States — one of the largest migrations on the planet and one that occurs primarily at night. Lights from buildings, especially in urban areas, attract and disorient migrating birds, confusing and exhausting them and making them vulnerable to collisions with buildings. Turning off lights dramatically reduces hazards and disorientation by light, allowing birds to safely proceed with their migratory journeys.
Learn more!
These actions are taken to support the Lights Out initiative, headed by the National Audubon Society and Texan by Nature. Learn more from the National Audubon Society website. Bird lovers can also monitor how many migrators will be traveling through the area using the BirdCast website.
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