Downtown Fort Worth’s City Center Towers to Turn Off Non-Essential Lights 11 pm – 6 am Sept. 5 – Oct. 29 during Peak Migratory Period for Birds

 

FORT WORTH (September 03, 2021) – City Center Fort Worth will once again join the City of Fort Worth and Keep Fort Worth Beautiful in dimming lights during the fall migratory period as hundreds of millions of birds pass through Texas. This will include dimming non-essential lights from 11 p.m. – 6 a.m. inside and outside the Bank of America Tower and the Wells Fargo Tower from September 5th – October 29th. City Center also participated in the Lights Out, Texas program last spring.

“It’s vitally important City Center does its part to protect migratory birds as they pass through our city,” said Johnny Campbell, President and CEO of City Center Management. “According to Texan by Nature, brightly lit buildings can confuse birds as they’re flying at night, causing them to crash into the buildings. Small businesses and homeowners are also encouraged to join the effort.”

Laura Bush, founder of Texan by Nature, suggested the following measures for everyone in North Texas to protect migratory birds:

  • Turn off all non-essential lights from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. each night.
  • Do not use landscape lighting to light up trees or gardens where birds may be resting.
  • For essential lights, such as security lighting, use the following friendly lighting practices:
    • Aim lights down
    • Use lighting shields to direct light downwards and to avoid light shining into the sky or trees
    • Use motion detectors and sensors so lights are only on when you need them
    • Close blinds at night to reduce the amount of light being emitted from windows
    • Share your efforts on social media to encourage friends to join you

City Center is the premier business address with Class A office space in downtown Fort Worth. Comprised of the Bank of America Tower and the Wells Fargo Tower, the two iconic towers offer stunning views of Fort Worth, connected parking and an on-site private club with fitness center. More info at citycenterfw.com

TEXAN BY NATURE INTERESTING FACTS

Texas contains three of the top 20 U.S. cities in exposing migrating birds to hazards created by light pollution, with Houston ranked #2 and the Dallas-Fort Worth area ranked #3. Because most migratory birds fly at night, bright lights of commercial and residential buildings attract and disorient birds, causing collisions and leaving birds vulnerable to threats on the ground.

  • Texas is globally important for birds
    • 1 of every 3 birds migrating through the U.S. in spring and 1 in 4 in fall passes through Texas, meaning approximately one billion birds traveling through our state
    • Protecting birds in Texas promotes conservation of bird populations across the Americas.
  • S. bird populations are declining rapidly, with 1 out of every 4 birds lost since 1970.
    • An estimated one billion U.S. bird deaths occur annually from collisions with buildings and structures, with migratory species at most risk.
  • Birds are essential to our planet’s ecology – and our local economy.
    • Birds provide ecosystem services, act as benchmarks for environmental health, increase livability, and connect people of all ages and abilities to the natural world.
    • Birds also support the Texas economy. In the Rio Grande Valley alone, Texas A&M found that nature tourism – which is dominated by bird watching – contributes $300 million and 4,407 full and part-time jobs annually.
  • Reducing light pollution directly reduces energy expenditures and carbon footprints.
    • Energy use is the single largest operating expense in commercial office buildings, representing approximately one-third of typical operating budgets and accounting for almost 20% of the nation’s annual greenhouse gas emissions.
    • Turning off or dimming internal and external lights is an effective intervention, whether at low or high-rises.
    • Turning off individual lights, even in an otherwise brightly lit area, is likely to make a meaningful difference in collision mortality from observed totals.

 

 

Media Contact:
Carolyn Alvey
Aardvark Communications
carolyn@aardvarktx.com
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214.394.0078 Cell