By Megan Wehring
HAYS COUNTY – Dripping Springs and Wimberley Valley are among the six areas in Texas that are classified as certified International Dark Sky Communities.
To protect the billions of migratory birds that fly over the state annually, the Lights Out Texas campaign is encouraging all residents to turn off non-essential lights at night from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. during the fall migration period. But where conflicts apply, lights out should be prioritized during the critical peak migration periods.
The full migration period will last from Aug. 15 to Nov. 30 and the peak migration is from Sept. 5 to Oct. 29.
Lights Out Texas History
In 2017, a major bird collision that killed nearly 400 birds in one night occurred in Galveston – this caused Houston Audubon and Galveston’s American National Insurance Company to start a Lights Out for Birds program, utilizing BirdCast migration forecasts maps.
The Lights Out Texas program was originally launched in 2020 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and BirdCast in partnership with Houston Audubon, the Dallas Zoo and the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. Later that year, Texan by Nature collaborated with several organizations to expand the program at the statewide level.
International Dark Sky Communities
An IDA International Dark Sky Community is a town, city, municipality or other legally organized community that has shown “exceptional dedication to the preservation of the night sky through the implementation and enforcement of a quality outdoor lighting ordinance, dark sky education and citizen support of dark skies.” These communities promote responsible lighting and dark sky stewardship.
Currently, the Dark Sky Communities in the state of Texas are Blanco, Dripping Springs, Fredericksburg, Horseshoe Bay, Lakewood Village and Wimberley Valley.
Inspired by neighboring areas, Buda decided to move forward with the designation process in 2018. An ordinance change related to lighting still needs to be established to meet the standards – the city is close to becoming an official Dark Sky Community.
