1. With Outdoor Lights at Night
“Wreaking Havoc”
With Outdoor Lights at Night
Wreaking Havoc…..with outdoor lights at night
This power point presentation may be used and readily copied for educational purposes if it is not altered. It has presenter notes for each slide and has my narrated voice for each slide which can be turned off.
Joe Frannea
Southern Arizona Section of the
International Dark-Sky Association

2. Ecological Consequences by Introducing Artificial Light
Astronomical effects of Light Pollution are obvious – Environmental are not
Last 30 Years of Environmental Planning has mainly focused on Day-time issues – not Night-time
Huge Lack of Scientific Information but lots of empirical information
Lack of research due to interest/funding?
When you talk about Light Pollution and its consequences, most people immediately think about astronomy. Those effects are obvious. When you mention effects on wildlife, plant life and human health the reaction is usually “your kidding”. There has been some research in these areas but there is so much more to learn.
It is interesting to note that our national parks now define the skies to be a natural resource and it is therefore illegal to damage them with light pollution just like it is illegal to deface a rock structure in the parks.

3. The World is Very Different at Night
More animals are nocturnal than diurnal
Natural darkness as important as daytime
All living things have biological cycles (circadian clock/rhythms, free run at hrs)
Artificial Lights - only past 100+ years
Electric Light Bulb - Thomas Edison 1880
Most people don’t think about how different the world is, or used to be night
After all, it has only been in the last 100 years that we have had artificial lighting readily available for our use and mis-use
Few have probably ever considered the effect of outdoor lights on wildlife, the majority of whom are active at night.
Or what about the importance of having dark nights to keep biological clocks in sync for all living things
George Westinghouse – Electricity Transmission

4. The World at Night More Like Daytime
This composite satellite image shows the world at night - clearly showing how civilizations are lighting up the night making it more like daytime. This is light shining upwards that is a total waste of energy and harmful to the environment and all things living on earth. It has been estimated that this wasted light costs about $10 million in the US alone each night.
More Like Daytime

5. Mammals Some Effects of Artificial Lights
Disruption of Foraging
Increased Predation Risk
Disruption of Biological Clock
Increased Mortality on Roads
Disruption of Dispersal Movements
React Naturally to Full Moon Light
Most Nocturnal have few retinal cones
(can be blinded by sudden bright lights)
Many animals in our Sonoran Desert are active at night like this Bobcat They need their dark nights in their habitat and surrounding areas for hunting, mating, keeping their biological clocks in sync., and protecting themselves from others that may be hunting them. There eyes are designed to function with minimal light and coming into bright lights can put them at risk.

6. Bats Are important night time pollinators
Lights effect the local distribution of bats due to insects around the lights
Lights can induce aggressive bat behavior to other bats and drive them out
Yellow outdoor lights are important to minimize insect attraction
Many of our cactus like the Saguaro are night bloomers and need night time pollinators, one of which is the bat. Bats feed on insects and need to find them in the wild, not flying around an outdoor light. Light is like a drug to many insects and animals. It can have a significant impact on their behavior and their interaction with other animals.

7. Migrating Birds Hundreds of species migrate at night
Artificial light and fires attract birds and they can’t seem to break away from it
Sky Glow can cause disorientation
Lit buildings, towers, poles, signs, and billboards can cause fatal collisions
Populations are declining throughout the world, lights are one major factor
Bird migration is a significant and important event. Birds are programmed to use natural instincts and naturally occurring events like moon light and stars to navigate and find their way to their seasonal homes. The introduction of artificial light into their habitat and skyways has caused serious problems for successful migration and mating. Lit buildings and towers and other obstacles cause serious fatal crashes killing millions of birds each year.

8. Bird Mis-Navigation: www.FLAP.org 193 birds every 60 seconds
The Canadian based Fatal Light Awareness Program, know as FLAP, studies and documents birds that crash into building during migration periods. These dead birds shown are one nights collisions with high rises in downtown Toronto. Visit their website, FLAP.org, for more information.
193 birds every 60 seconds

9. Marine Birds
Light sources include lighthouses, oil & gas platform flares and fishing boats
Night lights effect reproduction, migration, foraging and behaviors
Many nocturnal seabirds are attracted to artificial light
Some diurnal sea gulls now hunt at night
Marine birds have to contend with man made flares, light houses, and lit up fishing boats. Light attracts many of them, interfering with their normal patterns. Some birds are actually nocturnal and are being driven from their native habitats due to night time lights.

10. Sea Turtles
Mortality due to artificial lighting is well documented for hatchlings - Florida
Hatchling must find sea, not condos
Attracted to shorter wavelengths (violet/green)
Strict lighting regulations adopted and public awareness – Education!
Other Lighting concerns being studied
Mature female sea turtles (some are 80+ years old) return to their birth places in the sand to lay their eggs. When the hatchlings come to the surface they must return to the water immediately to avoid being eaten or baking in the hot sun. They instinctively know how to find the water using the horizon or other means. There are well documented studies in Florida regarding artificial light from condos confusing the hatchlings and sometimes making it impossible for them to find the sea. Florida has adopted strict outdoor lighting standards to help alleviate this situation.

11. Hatchlings Headed Straight to the Ocean
These tacks in the sand show hatchlings heading straight to the sea to begin their new life.
Hatchlings Headed Straight to the Ocean

12. Totally Confused due to Outdoor Lights
Add some outdoor lighting near the beach areas and notice how confused the hatchlings are now, possibly making it impossible for the new hatchlings to ever find the sea. They are attracted to the shorter wavelengths of light, the violet/green part of the spectrum. Developing sea turtle friendly light bulbs avoiding these parts of the spectrum has helped immensely.
Totally Confused due to Outdoor Lights

13. Frogs & Toads Experiencing global decline (lights may be a factor)
Radically more light into their habitats
Less mobile than other animals
Have complex life cycles
Lights make them less selective about picking mates
Are Prey and Predators of other nocturnal animals, lights can alter this
Frogs and toads and some snakes are in decline worldwide. Lights at night are undoubtably a factor but no one seems to know how big a factor. The frogs complex life cycles have to deal with a changed habitat in many areas due to artificial lights. Some studies have indicated they are less selective about picking mates due to the lights.

14. Fish
Coastal zones, lakes, streams, ponds and rivers all impacted by lights – over half world population lives within 50 miles
Light, temperature and structures greatly effect aquatic organisms
Behaviors - Feeding, Schooling, Migration, Spawning, Predation depend on specific light intensities
Studies have documented some of the effects on our ever so important fish in streams, lakes, rivers, and oceans. Light and temperature changes are very important factors in their breeding, migration, feeding, schooling and other behaviors that are important to their survival. Over half of the worlds human populations are located within 50 miles of major rivers, lakes and oceans, Outdoor lights are changing the fish habitat forever.

15. Insects Critically Important Pollinators
especially moths at night (light is a drug)
Flight-to-Light Behavior interferes with normal activities and is often fatal
“Vacuum Cleaner” Effect – sucked out of habitat, depletes local populations
Some won’t mate in lighted conditions
Use yellow bulbs to minimize attraction
The moth is another very important night pollinator and is being sucked out of its habitat by night lights. Light is a drug to the moth which is often fatal. The light is an attractant as it flies around and around the lamp until it is exhausted and usually dies. Use yellow lamps where possible to help minimize this problem.

16. Fireflies Hold a special place in human cultures
Self-generated chemical luminescence for sexual communication
External light can wash out the glow, delay mating, reduce number of eggs (7 eggs/day)
Light has serious consequences for them
Glowworms attract males up to 150 away using bioluminescent flashes
Fireflies are a unique insect that uses light to communicate. With artificial light being added to their environment, their mating habits can be significantly altered yielding less egg production. The glowworm also uses bioluminescent flashes to communicate and attract mates.

17. Plants Light is one of the most
important signals that effects development
Respond to spectral quality, light intensity, light direction and light duration – some florists use this to delay of force blooms
One study showed a one second light at night caused the plant not to bloom
Plants have cycles too. Some plants like the poinsettia and Christmas cactus must have totally dark nights for rich full blooms. Light at night even for a few seconds can effect many aspects of plant growth and reproduction.

18. Huge Waste of Energy-Tremendous Light Pollution
Bottom Lit Billboard
Billboards have traditionally been lit from the bottom, generally with huge amounts of light so they could be seen for miles. The overspray of light and reflected light off the face of the sign creates tremendous amounts of Light Pollution. Many Outdoor Lighting Codes now prohibit this practice.
Huge Waste of Energy-Tremendous Light Pollution

19. Top Lit Billboard Fluorescent Lights Save Energy
This top lit billboard is on a busy city street intersection and uses fluorescent lighting. It is plenty visible for hundreds of feet away, yields very little Light Pollution and uses about 10% of the energy the previous bottom lit billboard shown.
Fluorescent Lights Save Energy
Top Lit Minimizes Light Pollution

20. Dark Sleep is Important for Melatonin Production
A very important subject which deserves an entire presentation is the effect of night time lights on human health. It has been documented that dark sleep conditions are required each night for your body to generate proper levels of Melatonin which has antioxidant properties to fight diseases. Doctors have studied and documented that the growth of breast cancer can be 8 times faster with low levels of melatonin.
It will be a great day when we adopt a saying similar to the one we did for smoking, you know “You have the right to smoke but not to blow smoke in my face” . The lighting one would be “You have the right to have lights on your property but not the right to shine them on my property or in the sky”.
Dark Sleep is Important for Melatonin Production

21. Responsible Lighting Use Fully Shielded Light Fixtures
(no light above the horizontal)
Use the right amount of uniform light
(more light is not better, often worse)
Turn on lights only when needed
and …
Use energy efficient bulbs-save energy
Not polluting the sky is one important piece of the equation and 20 years ago we thought it was the whole equation. We now know that expanding this to Responsible Lighting covers most of the bases and is easy to understand.
Responsible Lighting is quite simple. The first part is controlling light is often done with shields to reflect and control the light downward. Using the right amount of light is also important, it takes very little light for most tasks. And turning on lights only when they are needed is also critical. Dusk to dawn lighting in most areas is a total waste of energy and can have harmful effects on the environment.

22. We All Know… In Real Estate, 3 most important things are:
Location… Location… Location
We all know what realtors tell us when looking to buy a house. The 3 most important things to look for are location, location, location

23. But Don’t Forget… The 3 most important things:
for Responsible Lighting:
Education… Education… Education
And we believe the 3 most important things to get Responsible Lighting is Education, education, education. And we are not talking about getting a degree in Outdoor Lighting. We are talking about sharing and practicing the information you just learned.

24. We Need Your Help! Pass the Word… Thanks... And Don’t Forget…
You can help educate others about this important topic of Responsible Lighting by simply passing on a few facts we just covered. Use this presentation or other material at school, group meetings, gatherings with friends and family, kids can do a science project or work on a scouting badge or community project

25. With Outdoor Lights at Night
“Wreaking Havoc”
With Outdoor Lights at Night
I hope you learned something new by viewing “Wreaking Havoc With Outdoor Lights at Night”. The order of magnitude of this problem is not known but is significant and in many areas getting worse each day. The information presented is based on only a few studies that have been completed. When, and if we do figure out all the impacts, it will probably be too late to reverse most of the harm already done. Everyone can make a difference immediately by following responsible lighting guidelines and educating others.
Thanks for your time..
Most of Written Material from:
“Ecological Consequences of
Artificial Night Lighting”
Island Press, 2006
Joe Frannea
Southern Arizona Section of the
International Dark-Sky Association
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