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April 30, 2025
Neighbors,
This past Sunday we celebrated Earth Day in Tysons Forest, a hidden gem that’s steps from the Spring Hill Metro Station in Tysons.
I want to thank everyone who attended and the nine environmental organizations that participated, including Rewilding Tysons Forest, Sustainability Matters, Northern Virginia Bird Alliance, DarkSky NOVA and Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw.
It was a sunny, spring day to take a nature walk in the forest, clean up the stream valley and distribute seed balls that will help reseed the forest with native plants. These three activities were among the recommended actions by the Tysons Forest Task Force that I established two years ago.
At our event, we also celebrated International Dark Sky Week. To recognize this week, Supervisor Walkinshaw and I presented a proclamation to Eileen Kragie, founder of DarkSky NOVA.
Not only can light pollution affect humans, but also it impacts insects and birds. Every spring and fall, more than 100 million birds migrate through our night skies, and light pollution substantially contributes to their deaths when they collide with lighted buildings or exhaust themselves circling lighted structures.
This is one reason we need to raise awareness about this important environmental issue. In fact, the county has joined the “Lights Out for Birds” campaign, and we are identifying county facilities where nighttime lighting can be reduced or eliminated during spring bird migration.
You can help too with simple actions like following the Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting. During the spring bird migration which lasts until May 15, consider turning off or dimming non-essential lights between 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
We’ve only got one Mother Earth. So, let’s treat every day like it’s Earth Day.
Regards,
Walter
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