Best Practices & Guidelines for
Seabird Friendly Outdoor Lights

Regulatory Status

Unauthorized "take" of these species is a violation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA; 16 USC 1538), the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA; 16 USC 703) and State Revised Statutes (HRS) 195D. Penalties for violations may include fines ($25,000-$50,000/bird) and potential criminal prosecution.

Related State Laws and Other Policies

Act 224 - This State law prohibits the shining of floodlights and spotlights on coastal areas. Passed in July 2005.

Lights of Concern

• Floodlights
• Sports facilities
• Landscaping
• Aesthetic lighting/sign lighting
• Water features

Lighting to Use (shown in the green box to the right)

• Fully shielded lights - May 2010 lighting manufacturers will be moving to the BUG system - http://www.iesna.org/PDF/Erratas/TM-15-07BUGRatingsAddendum.pdf
  
• Full cutoff luminaries
• Motion detectors
• Back-lit signs
• Overhangs
• Low profile lights
• Light signs from above

Technical information on lights and sources

www.darksky.org
www.flap.org

Lighting to Avoid (shown in red box to the right)

• Unshielded lights and exposed bulbs
• Partially shielded floodlights (two examples shown in box the right)
• Uplighting of signs, tree canopies, building facades
• Lighting on cliffs and coastal bluffs
• Lighting off of rooftops and trees
  

Take Minimization and Avoidance Practices

Seabird Friendly Lights

The purpose of the following guidelines is to enable businesses, agencies, and private households to avoid and minimize risk of "take" (i.e. mortality and injury) caused by outdoor lights to Federal and State Threatened and Endangered seabirds:

• Avoid use of outdoor spotlights or floodlights lights mounted on rooftops and/or shining out on a coast line or beach;
• Avoid the use of spotlights that shining upward or outward;
• All outdoor lights should be fully shielded, full cut-off luminaries, or indirect lighting;
• Spotlights and floodlights, in particular, should be fully shielded and angled within a 90 degree angle from the ground;
• All signs should be back lit or lit from above pointing down toward the sign. Lights shining up toward signs and other structures (i.e. trees and building facades) increase risk to seabirds;
• Motion detectors are recommended to minimize and control duration of light use;
• Use of amber, or other non-white bulbs or filters is preferred to bright white lights depending on the application and lighting requirements;
• Construction floodlights and spotlights must be fully shielded.

It is recommended that project owners or applicants for new projects, existing facilities, or facility renovations consult with the Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) prior to finalization of the outdoor lighting plan.