The increased and widespread use of artificial light at night is adversely affecting our natural environment. Plants and animals depend on Earth’s daily cycle of light and dark rhythm to govern life-sustaining behaviors such as reproduction, nourishment, sleep and protection from predators. Scientific evidence suggests that artificial light at night has negative and deadly effects on many creatures including amphibians, birds, mammals, insects and plants.

Birds: Artificial light causes birds to wander off course, and causes them to miss seasonal clues.

Insects: Insects, especially night butterflies, are drawn to light, and lose their ability to forage and propagate.

Amphibians:  Light pollution alters the nighttime environment. For example, in light- polluted areas, frog singing becomes less pronounced and their propagation gets disturbed.

Mammals: Nocturnal mammals, like bats, raccoons and opossums, use the protection of darkness to safely forage and mate.

The good news is that light pollution, unlike many other forms of pollution, is easy to reverse and each one of us can make a difference! You can start by minimizing the light from your own home at night. You can do this by following these simple steps. Only use lighting when and where it’s necessary. Choose warm yellow lights rather than cool, bluish lights. If safety is concern, install motion detector lights and timers. Properly shield all outdoor lights, and let the light face downward. Keep your blinds drawn to keep light inside.