October Program: Guardians of the Night-Why Darkness Matters
Public Welcome Family-Friendly Recording Available Registration Required Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation Wheelchair Accessible Public Restroom Free Public Parking Drinking Fountains
Guardians of the Night: Why Darkness Matters
Written by Jessican Hagen, SEED, & Gail Walter
This is a joint program with Audubon Society of Kalamazoo.
Please join us on Monday, October 26th as we explore the importance of nighttime and the vital role darkness plays in healthy ecosystems. From bats and moths to birds, frogs, insects, and nocturnal plants, countless living things depend on natural darkness to feed, navigate, reproduce, rest, and survive. Participants will learn how excessive artificial light can disrupt wildlife, change natural behaviors, and affect the delicate relationships that connect nighttime species.
Birds are an important part of this story. Millions of migratory birds travel at night, using natural cues such as the stars, moon, and Earth's magnetic field to navigate. Bright lights can attract and disorient migrating birds, increasing the risk of collisions with
buildings and exhausting birds already on a long, difficult journey.
We will discuss international and local dark sky movements, which are efforts to reduce light pollution by promoting responsible outdoor lighting and protecting naturally dark night skies. Protecting dark skies preserves star visibility, supports wildlife, and reduces unnecessary energy use from excessive artificial light.
Jessica Hagen is a local science teacher at The Montessori School and a nature enthusiast passionate about preserving nighttime ecology. She will be joined by a few students from the Super Epic Earth Defender (SEED) student group. Gail Walter is the current ASK president and an advocate for reducing threats to birds, including window collisions and artificial light at night.
We hope you’ll join us on Monday, Oct 26th, at People’s Church, 1758 North 10th Street, Kalamazoo. This program is geared to all audiences, and we enthusiastically invite families and nature lovers of any age to join us! Come at 6:30 PM (new time) for
some refreshments and socializing. Snacks and beverages will be provided. It’s helpful if you bring your own cup. The one-hour program will start at 7:00 PM. Handicap parking and access is at either the front or the rear entrance of the building.