Migrating birds traveling thousands of miles typically fly at night. After the sun goes down birds take advantage of cooler temperatures, calmer skies and the protection the dark provides from birds of prey.
These birds use the moon and the stars to help navigate to their final destination.
But Faith Heaton Jolley with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources says artificial lights at night complicate the birds’ travel and increase the risk of them dying.
“So one way to help them is to turn off your outdoor lights at night, because some of that light pollution can actually disorient birds and draw them off their course from where they're trying to head to get food and shelter,” said Heaton Jolley. “And sometimes it can actually cause collision with some of these lighted buildings and other structures.”
Eared grebes are birds that need to land in water. Jolley says this winter, some eared grebes flying over southern Utah saw lights in a parking lot reflecting off icy asphalt. The birds saw the reflection and thought it was water and crashed into the pavement.
Protecting wildlife is one of the reasons why Park City updated its outdoor lighting code in 2021.
Park City’s Assistant Planning Director, Rebecca Ward, says when the city began updating the code in 2020, staff surveyed residents to learn about what they wanted their night sky to look like.
“We heard from community members interested in protecting wildlife, public health, and also just dark sky lighting is also sometimes called ‘good neighbor’ lighting, where you’re directing light downward as needed, instead of shining it onto adjacent properties,” said Ward. “And overall, there was support for protecting the night sky to improve visibility of the night sky.”
Under the code, newly constructed multi-unit dwellings and commercial outdoor fixtures can’t exceed 3,000 degrees Kelvin. And by December 31, 2024, existing properties in Park City will also have to change out their bulbs to 3,000 degrees Kelvin.
Kelvin units measure the color temperature of a particular light bulb. The higher the Kelvin rating, the whiter the light will be. A color temperature of 3000K, which is typical for indoor light bulbs, is commonly defined as “warm white” for its traditional yellowish glow.
The city’s dark sky ordinance also regulates outdoor holiday lights. Seasonal lights are permitted from November 1 to March 1, but must be turned off by 11 p.m. Commercial seasonal lights can be left on until midnight.
Dave Thacker, Park City’s chief building official, explained how the new code is being enforced. He says staff does proactive patrols; those are typically 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. shifts. After hours, the city relies on the police department to assist. However, Thacker says, proactive code enforcement has been difficult this year because of the record snowfall.
“Due to some of the snow and some of the winter conditions that we have, we have been a little bit more reactive, so to speak, to these complaints as opposed to proactive understanding that sometimes the reason the lights are so long is because the connections for those lights are buried under three feet of snow and or unable to be located currently,” said Thacker. “So we have been working through those. Should we receive a complaint, we act on it.”
Thacker says the city hasn’t received too many complaints this year, but for those complaints that have been received, staff contacts property owners who typically turn off their lights once the ordinance is explained.
For more information on Park City’s dark sky lighting code, click here.
