BOMA/NY spearheading Lights Out campaign

Birds of a feather more than flock together - they send out directional signals and communications to each other so that when they are heading south for winter, the entire flock shares the warnings spotted by the leader. But those warnings can misfire when flying over a brightly lit nighttime skyline, making it vital that buildings turn out their lights from midnight to dawn during the migratory seasons. Avian programming is, of course, based on nature; birds use the moon and the stars to navigate. However, lights from office towers often override these natural markers and cause the birds to be drawn to the man-made light - sending them crashing into building façades and dying. But this year the building community is rallying around the cause to save feathered New Yorkers. BOMA/NY has been spearheading such a campaign as a proud partner of the Audubon Society's Lights Out campaign, now underway. In mid-August, we encouraged building management to turn off decorative lighting and to ask tenants to do the same with their offices. The campaign for the fall migration will run through November 1. How many birds are killed each year from colliding with buildings? A recent Audubon Society study estimated the deaths at around 90,000 - for buildings under five stories -throughout the five boroughs; with the projected deaths running much higher once skyscrapers are factored in. Recent documentation reports that 85% of all bird/building collisions are fatal, and the survivors are not exactly flying high after the experience. With this new campaign, there is every hope the numbers will begin to dwindle. Now turning out their lights, are these BOMA/NY members: The Chrysler Building, The Con Edison Clocktower, The New York Times Building, Rockefeller Center, Time Warner Center, WorldWide Plaza, 1133 Avenue of the Americas, 1155 Avenue of the Americas, 1177 Avenue of the Americas, 120 Broadway, One Bryant Park, 205 East 42nd St., 529 Fifth Avenue, 575 Lexington Ave., 599 Lexington Ave., 601 Lexington Ave., 731 Lexington Ave., 787 Seventh Ave., 655 Third Ave., 675 Third Ave., Four Times Square, 225 Varick St., 120 Wall St., 114 West 47th St., and 7 World Trade Center.