Lights Out, Dallas!
Spring 2025 • May Updates
| | United Rocks, a nonprofit that provides climbing teams for individuals with different abilities, joined us for the Lights Out, Texas! documentary outreach event. | | |
Earth Day Action: Protecting Wildlife and the Night Sky
As April brought Earth Day celebrations across the state, people from all walks of life had the opportunity to learn about the impacts of light pollution on birds and other wildlife through various outreach events.
No matter who you are or where you come from, the beauty of a starlit sky is something we all share. Join us in turning off non-essential lights for the birds, for the stars, and for all who call this planet home.
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Bird—Building Collision Survey Updates
| | Peak migration is in full swing, and our survey results show it. During Weeks 7 and 8 of the survey season, bird—building collisions in downtown Dallas rose sharply, as shown in the graph below. While part of this increase is due to ramping up survey frequency from 3 to 4 days per week during peak migration, the numbers remain striking—even when adjusted. | | Along with greater migration intensity, we’ve also seen a shift in the types of birds affected. For the first six weeks of the season, New World Sparrows (Passerellidae) made up the majority of collisions, but starting in Week 7, sparrow numbers began to decline as Warblers (Parulidae) arrived in force. Together, these two bird families now account for 70% of all documented collisions this spring (n = 170; see chart below). | | Bird—building collisions documented in downtown Dallas so far this spring | | You can help protect migratory and resident birds this season! Turn off non-essential lights at night and take steps to make windows visible to birds. Small changes make a big difference! | | City Engagement Spotlight | | To create bird-friendly communities, cities across the DFW area are adopting Lights Out policies, reducing building collisions, and supporting native planting and habitat restoration. From yard signs to community events, these efforts reflect simple, impactful steps to protect migratory birds and urban wildlife. | | |
(Left): Lights Out banner installed across a major street in Denton during peak migration season.
(Right): Karen Boerner, Sustainability Engagement Specialist, sharing resources at the Texas Wildflower Day Celebration at TWU.
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City Spotlight
🔊 City of Denton – Certified Bird City Texas!
This year, Denton earned its Bird City Texas certification for its strong commitment to bird conservation. Highlights include:
- Installed a Lights Out banner to engage people visiting downtown Denton
- Created marketing material on Lights Out, bird-safe glass, and native planting
- Provided educational materials to Denton ISD schools for building native gardens and wildlife habitats
- Placed Lights Out yard signs at City-owned properties
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Maintains a regular social media presence to promote Lights Out, native plants, and wildlife-friendly practices (Follow City of Denton Sustainability on Facebook or Instagram!)
- Denton Municipal Electric dims residential streetlights during peak migration seasons
🔊City of Frisco – Lights Out in Action
Frisco recently created an engaging video 🎥 from a bird’s perspective, spotlighting the real dangers birds face as they migrate through brightly lit urban environments.
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Your Voice Matters
Reach out to your city officials and encourage them to take action to protect migratory birds. If they’re already on board—amazing! Take a moment to thank them.
Postcards are a powerful way to let your voice be heard. Whether it’s asking for change or showing appreciation, a simple note can make a big impact.
| | A family of Cedar Hill residents selected their favorite postcards to write thank-you notes to city officials for installing bird-friendly glass at the Traphene Hickman Library to help prevent window collisions. | | Lights Out, Texas! Curriculum Updates | | |
The Lights Out, Texas! curriculum for 6th–8th grade is in its final stage of testing and implementation! Thanks to the expertise of Meridith Cooper, our Curriculum Consultant, the program is making strong progress toward full alignment with current Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards.
Meridith brings deep experience to the role—she currently serves as the 7th Grade Science District Curriculum Lead for Rockwall ISD, where she supports a team of nine educators and ensures curriculum quality across the district.
Her passion for Lights Out began last year at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, where she encountered the Lights Out: Recovering Our Night Sky exhibit. That experience sparked her awareness of how light pollution affects biodiversity and now fuels her dedication to developing this classroom-ready resource.
| | (Left) Meredith incorporated bird collision data collected by citizen scientists on iNaturalist; (Right) Her students working on Module 2: Disruptions to Energy Flow, which explores how human-caused factors like light pollution and bird-building collisions interrupt natural food webs. When artificial lights disorient migratory birds and collide with buildings, bird populations are reduced, which can impact predator-prey relationships and energy transfer in ecosystems. | | |
🗓 The curriculum is on track to launch in early August—just in time for the new school year!
📬 Want early access? Fill out your contact information to be the first to know when it’s released.
💡 We're also exploring training opportunities with school districts! If your ISD might be interested in hosting a training workshop, let us know! We’d love to connect.
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(Top three): Classroom activity at Cain Middle School during the implementation of the 6th–8th grade curriculum Module One – Engineering Design Challenge. Students build model migratory birds featuring three types of adaptations—behavioral, structural, and physiological—using paper clips and other simple materials.
(Bottom two): Students test the flight ability and functionality of their model birds.
| | Community & Education Outreach | | (Left) Thank you to all our partners who joined the film screening. (Right) A big shout-out to Patagonia Dallas for making it all possible! | | |
Beyond the Wall: Climbers for Lights Out, Texas!
On May 3, nearly 50 climbers and community members gathered at the Bouldering Project, a local climbing gym, to learn how light pollution affects migratory birds and how small changes at home can help.
As outdoor enthusiasts who camp, night climb, and seek dark skies, climbers understand the value of a star-filled night. This event encouraged them to extend that care to their homes by turning off lights to protect birds and preserve the night sky.
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Spread the awareness
Have you spotted a “Bird Migration Alert” yard sign in your neighborhood?
From front yards and school campuses to libraries, city halls, and community events, Lights Out yard signs are popping up all over to remind folks it’s time to take action. These signs help raise awareness about bird migration and encourage simple steps we can all take to protect birds as they pass through our cities.
| | Bird—Building Collision Surveys | | |
Earn your Lights Out, Texas!
logo patch!
The newly released Lights Out, Texas! logo, designed by Audubon Texas, is now available as a special patch for dedicated volunteers!
Volunteers who complete 5 or more surveys this season will receive the patch in recognition of their commitment to protecting migratory birds.
With nearly a month left in the season, there’s still time to earn your patch. Keep surveying, and thank you for all you do!
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Save the Date - End-of-Season Breakfast Celebration
Join us on Friday, May 30 for the celebration as we wrap up another impactful Lights Out season together!
📍 Schedule:
- 6:00 – 7:30 AM | Collision Survey
- 7:30 – 8:30 AM | Breakfast Celebration
Let’s celebrate the collective effort of all our amazing partners and volunteers.
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📆 When:
🚩 Non-Peak Migration
May 13 – June 1
Tue, Fri, and Sun mornings
ALL surveys begin at 6 am and end around 8 am!
Sign up for the days you plan to participate.
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📍Where:
Mornings start and end at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science Parking lot; see below in the "Parking Map" for the parking location and the correct entrance.
Upon arrival at the parking lot gates, press the Help button on the screen and inform the security team that you are there for the Lights Out, Dallas! bird monitoring surveys. This will grant you access to the parking spaces (see attached map).
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🔦 Know Before You Go
Review the Volunteer Guide to familiarize yourself with the process.
| Thank you to Oliver Milman from The Guardian for joining our bird collision monitoring survey on May 7! | | Thank you to our partners and generous donors for their support, which enables us to continue our critical work in education and advocacy for safer environments for birds. |
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