Ridgefield|Local Event
Lights Out! How Outdoor Lights at Night Affect Birds, Moths and People & What To Do About It
The Ridgefield Action Committee for the Environment, the Norwalk River Watershed Association and the Ridgefield Library are cohosting this special program on Thursday, June 25th at 7:00 pm at the Library.
The presentation will feature Craig Rapasz, cofounder of Lights Out Connecticut and an authority on birds. We will learn how 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 migrating birds. The result is catastrophic: accordingly, there are nearly 1 billion bird deaths in North America each year.
Light pollution affects people as well, interfering with our ability to see the stars. It increases our electrical bills and carbon emissions, and can degrade sleep patterns. It also has profound effects on nocturnally active insects—in particular, moths, which are important pollinators.
The program is aimed at creating awareness so we can take action to darken our skies, especially during Spring and Fall bird migrations.
Craig will be joined in the presentation by Lukas Karas, a graduating Westport high school student who is a butterfly and moth expert. He has done local surveys of moths and butterflies and will share his moth specimen collection.