Friday, June 15, 2018

D.C. Chapter Brings IDA Message to Arlington Migratory Bird Festival




Members of the D.C. chapter of the International Dark-Sky Association represented IDA on May 12 at a Migratory Bird Festival in Arlington, Va. More than 200 people, including many children, attended the festival sponsored by Arlington County Parks and Natural Resources at Lacey Woods Park. Through informal discussions with attendees, IDA members Marcia Montgomery and Wayne Savage described the negative impact of artificial light at night on migrating birds.
Marcia Montgomery, left, of IDA's D.C. chapter, 
speaks with attendees at the Migratory Bird Festival
 May 12 at Lacey Woods Park in Arlington.    



Most bird migration occurs at night, when excessive and poorly designed urban lights can disrupt avian navigation, sometimes with fatal results. Festival attendees responded positively to IDA's message and left email addresses for follow-up contact.

Arlington County Parks has invited IDA to attend a Bat Fest from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. on Aug. 25  at Gulf Branch Nature Center in Arlington. Artificial light at night impacts bat foraging behavior in ways that are not fully understood and may interfere with navigation of bats and disrupt their circadian clocks.