Save a Forest in Southworth, WA

Southworth Forest Update:

Light Pollution and Migrating Birds at the Southworth Forest

Posted October 30, 2026 by Southworth Forest

Skyglow from the Southworth ferry terminal and the houses nearby have significantly increased invasive nighttime light at the Southworth Forest, the edge of which was the location of this photo. This evidence was shown to the Kitsap County Hearing Examiner in 2025, and the light was ruled to be an adverse environmental impact worsened by the deforestation in the foreground.

Light pollution is a serious problem. Whether you want to gaze at the stars, protect nocturnal creatures like moths and bats, or help migrating birds, light pollution is an alarming issue. There are ways to combat the problem, and community cooperation is key. The Southworth Forest restoration project is not immune to the effects of light pollution, as it's part of the important Pacific Flyway for birds. Its exposure to greater light sources in recent years has illuminated the need for the Southworth community and elsewhere to be aware of "Lights Out, Washington!" campaign guidelines for reducing light pollution during migratory bird season.

Beyond just Southworth and Kitsap County, light pollution is an increasingly growing detriment to wildlife. With deforestation and more human development around the world, our world is lit up at night, and it's clearly viewable from space. Our cities and highways leak light out into the night sky and create skyglow, the term for the haze of light above urban areas that is visible from a distance. The Seattle metropolis is a huge example of skyglow, with the entire eastern side of the Puget Sound producing a combined skyglow visible for many miles.

Newer LED lights can be part of the solution, but they are also part of the problem. Popular, bright blue light is the worst for humans and other lifeforms, and since LED light bulbs can produce more light with less energy usage, humans tend to use higher lumens than necessary. In fact, people usually overestimate the amount of light needed for their own safety at night. Many legacy exterior light fixtures on homes and businesses throw light outward rather than downward, and some accent lighting points upwards to illuminate buildings and trees.

The effects of light pollution have recently worsened at the Southworth Forest because of the neighboring 2019 deforestation of the acreage at 11090 SE Southworth Dr. in violation of the law. Losing that buffer of trees exposed adjacent, remaining Southworth forestlands and the wetlands contained therein to increased light pollution, not only from houses and headlights but also the skyglow from the Southworth ferry terminal. This light pollution could have long term effects on the habitat, as studies have shown even a small amount of light can disrupt the lifecycles of amphibians and the insects they feed on, as well as interfere with the hunting and roosting of owls and bats. There are fewer dark, protected roosts and nesting sites for local and migratory birds, not to mention decreased native plant seeds and berries to feed them.

Kitsap County in Washington state is part of the Pacific Americas Flyway, a major north-south bird migration route that extends from Alaska to the southern tip of South America. This means that about twice a year, peaking in April and October, areas like Southworth are a stopover for birds making a long journey between nesting grounds and wintering grounds. Some birds even nest in these trees before flying south for the winter. The birds migrate mostly at night, stopping only long enough to rest and refuel for the next leg of the journey. Birds navigate by the stars and can become confused by bright lights along the way. Increases in bird deaths due to window collisions are common, contributing to the overall decline in bird populations.

The National Audubon Society has created a national campaign, called the "Lights Out Program," to help save these birds' lives. The more localized branch, "Lights Out, Washington!," educates and encourages people to turn off unnecessary lighting during the biannual bird migrations, which is roughly April to May and September to October, though exact times for different species can start earlier and extend later. Outdoor lights should be shielded downward and be warmer colors (yellows or reds rather than blue and white), put on motion sensors or timers, or simply turned off. Indoor lighting should be turned off as you leave rooms or when not needed, and blinds, curtains, drapes, and/or shutters can be used to keep indoor light from spilling outside.

There are many other benefits to reducing light pollution, too. In addition to saving birds, turning off unnecessary lights saves money on electricity bills. Budding astronomers have a better chance at seeing phenomena such as northern lights and meteor showers. Some communities have even passed legislation protecting dark skies and limiting light pollution year around. In Southworth, proposed street lights have been withdrawn because many in the community desire darker skies. Planting what will become tomorrow's large, shielding conifer trees also helps.

As an easy and immediate solution, fewer lights would help many different kinds of wildlife go about their lives peacefully, and, as more and more studies indicate, it will help humans, too. At Southworth, the rest of Kitsap County, and beyond, let's do our part and turn out the lights!

Resources

Read more in the following websites and books to learn about light pollution's effects on bird migrations and other impacts.

Websites

• Lights Out, Washington! Audubon Project
• DarkSky International
• DarkSky Olympic Peninsula
• Dark Skies Initiative (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)

Books for Adults

(Check your local public library)

• The Darkness Manifesto: On Light Pollution, Night Ecology, and the Ancient Rhythms That Sustain Life by Johan Eklof
• Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark by Leigh Ann Henion
• Living Night: On the Secret Wonders of Wildlife After Dark by Sophia Kimmig
• The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light by Paul Bogard
• The Wild Dark: Finding the Night Sky in the Age of Light by Craig Childs
• Pacific Flyway: Waterbird Migration from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego by Audrey DeLella
• Seeking Refuge: Birds and Landscapes of the Pacific Flyway by Robert M. Wilson

Books for Children

(Check your local public library)

• Lights Out: A Movement to Help Migrating Birds by Jessica Stremer (illustrated by Bonnie Pang)
• Who Hid the Stars?: How Light Pollution Changes Our World by Valentina Gottardi, Maciej Michno, and Danio Miserocchi (illustrated by Valentina Gottardi, translated by Sylvia Notini)
• Follow the Flyway: The Marvel of Bird Migration by Sarah Nelson (illustrated by Maya Hanisch)
• Saving the Night: How Light Pollution is Harming Life on Earth by Stephen Aitken
• Dark Matters: Nature's Reaction to Light Pollution by Joan Marie Galat
• Scoot: A Tiny New York Bird with a Great Big Idea by Fran Manushkin (illustrated by Bruce Degen)
• Lights Out by Marsha Diane Arnold (illustrated by Susan Reagan)
• Skywatcher by Jamie Hogan
• What If Night? by Paul Bogard (illustrated by Sarah Holden)