by John McMahon

With the annual Spring migration over North America well underway for a wide variety of bird species, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has announced this year’s Lights Out initiative to protect birds as they migrate. It directs State-owned and managed buildings to turn off non-essential outdoor lighting from 11p.m. to dawn during the period from April 15 through May 31. The program is also in effect during the peak fall migration from Aug. 15 through Nov. 15. State agencies are also encouraged to draw blinds when possible and to turn off non-essential indoor lighting during these specified times. In general, Lights Out is a simple concept that urges commercial and residential property owners and managers to reduce their nighttime light pollution by turning off or dimming non essential lights. Experts remind the public that as a general principle any exterior lighting is more bird friendly when directed downward rather than up into the sky.

Recent studies have shown that some populations of migratory birds are in decline; and in addition to loss of habitat, climate change, deforestation, and pesticide use, misdirected and excessive outdoor lighting (called light pollution) and the resulting brightening of the night sky (called sky glow) interfere with birds’ ability navigate by the stars. Even more tragic is the way that lights on buildings can disorient and confuse these nocturnal travelers, particularly in adverse weather, and can draw them away from their normal flight patterns, thus causing them to circle endlessly around tall lighted structures. In fact, it has been estimated that millions of migratory avians perish this way annually, a grim fact that has given rise to the term fatal light attraction. Buildings lit from the inside can also affect birds on the wing in the dark, and collisions with windows are another source of bird fatalities.

In addition, brightly illuminated nightscapes over larger areas like cities and suburbs can delay or hasten a migration schedule, thereby disrupting birds’ normal schedules for feeding, nesting and breeding. One recent study has shown that while in flight, migratory birds are more likely to engage in stop-over behavior near illuminated areas, causing them to avoid natural areas like forests that would better benefit them on their trek. This diversion may ultimately decrease their fitness to accomplish their journey in a healthy condition.

While putting limits on illumination at night to reduce the threats to migrating birds is a beneficial first step, restricting uncontrolled lighting should be reduced over the whole year to protect other wildlife active at night. Even in naturally dark rural settings a single source of continuous artificial lighting throughout the night effectively fragments the natural nocturnal environment by disorienting animals, attracting or repelling them in ways that disrupt mating and reproduction, communication, hunting and foraging and migration. For example, moths, which pollinate many plants crucial to both wildlife and human well-being, are severely confused by outdoor lighting fixtures and are distracted from the night-blooming flowers that they had long ago evolved to visit. And fireflies using their own flickering light to attract mates are seriously compromised by the presence of bright lights, resulting in potential delays in mating and a reduction in egg-laying behaviors.

But what can you do? Fortunately, there are several easy ways to help: use light only if it’s needed and turn it off when it’s no longer necessary. Additionally, direct light properly so that it does not affect wildlife, and make sure that it is only as bright as necessary. Indeed, your human neighbors will also thank you for keeping your lights from intruding onto their property and into their homes. In that way you can help to preserve a calm and peaceful nightscape in your community.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservations page on the Lights Out initiative can be found here:
https://dec.ny.gov/news/press-releases/2025/4/dec-and-ogs-remind-new-yorkers-to-keep-lights-outto-protect-migrating-birds

For more information on sensible outdoor lighting in general, see DarkSky Internationals “Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting” at:

Written by John McMahon

by Amy Durland

Art meets climate change

Sustainable Saratoga had a recent opportunity to connect with the arts. The Nacre Dance Group/Empire State Dance Youth Ensemble, directed by Beth Fecteau, invited Sustainable Saratoga to a recent youth dance performance at Universal Preservation Hall. The program included the premiere of a climate-change-themed performance, choreographed by Em Wein, and drawing on powerful words by Greta Thunberg from her TED talk. Because of the climate theme, I participated for Sustainable Saratoga in a pre-performance discussion. The dance performances were incredible and moving.

Laura Faulk, Sustainable Saratoga’s Climate & Energy Committee Chair, invited Eve Morgenstern to be a guest speaker at a recent Committee meeting. Eve is the Director of Soon is Now, an annual festival of climate and eco-themed art and live performance in Beacon, NY. Soon is Now includes original works of art, dance, poetry and music, and readings of plays from the Climate Change Theatre Action collection. A recipient of numerous artist grants for her work, Eve also has released an environmental film, Cheshire, Ohio, An American Coal Story in 3 Acts. She co-chairs a downstate Climate Realty Project chapter.

The value of the arts for sustainability advocacy

This experience inspired me to collect some thoughts about the value of the arts in our sustainability and environmental work. It occurred to me that, because art fundamentally informs us about ourselves, art can be a more direct way for us to understand and convey our message and for people to hear it. Sometimes our advocacy messages address difficult issues – and people don’t always feel inspired toward positive action. Art can be a more relatable way to reach people. It relies less on didactic communication and more on the experiential medium of art. We can walk out of an art exhibit or a concert or a theater performance feeling more informed and inspired, without the heavy burden of having been lectured at. Art is about reaching people in ways that resonate.

We would love to hear your ideas about arts-focused environmental or sustainability advocacy. Please reach out to us at info@sustainablesaratoga.org and let us know your thoughts.

As the Commissioner of Public Works for Saratoga Springs, Jason Golub oversees the city’s Department of Public Works, which employs about 130 people and has a budget of roughly $130 million. An attorney who lives in Saratoga Springs, Golub was re-elected in November 2023 for his second two-year term. He recently sat down with Elaine McArdle, a board member of Sustainable Saratoga, to discuss his priorities for sustainability in the city.

What is your vision as DPW commissioner?

I came in with the idea that DPW is more than plowing your snow and picking up leaves. My idea is that it should be the future vision of what our city will look like – the infrastructure, the bike lanes, the trails. To me that’s where DPW can drive change while doing the core responsibilities of maintaining our city streets, our water, our sewers.

Are there sustainability-focused projects that have taken place under your leadership at DPW that you would like to highlight?

Developing new parks, because new green space is high on my to-do list. Last year we developed Flat Rock Park [on High Rock Avenue] next to the City Center garage. We’re doing another park this year on Excelsior Avenue by the water treatment plant, a two-acre park with a pollinator garden and community garden. In our tree-planting program, I’ve asked the arborist to focus on lower-income areas that don’t have as much tree coverage, and we’re working on affordable housing, which is tangentially related to sustainability. We’re also working on the advancement of the Complete Streets Plan, with more trails and sidewalks, for example sidewalks near Caroline Street Elementary School, and we’re doing another one on Grand Avenue on the West Side. We want more walkability and connectability of our city. I’m definitely committed to that, and my biggest issue is doing that in a way that makes sense for the city and connects the city; for example, there’s a bike lane on Lake Avenue that doesn’t connect to anything. So bringing connectivity through Complete Streets is important, and I’m a huge proponent of supporting green space and expanding our green space.

What about recycling?

We are still rolling out a city recycling program. The city doesn’t have one now, although we have a pilot program in city hall. We’ve ordered a truck that will allow us to collect recycling and garbage, so we can collect from city buildings, and we’ll put recycling bins on Broadway and other main streets; we have them at Flat Rock Park, but we want to expand that. We’re supposed to have the truck by the end of the year.

What projects are underway to help Saratoga adapt to extreme weather events such as intense downpours and extreme heat that are occurring more frequently due to climate change?

Extreme weather is an issue for DPW. We have more weather-related emergencies, more flooding. I’ve been here just two years, but I was just talking to a guy who’s been here 20 years, and whether it’s rain storms or more intense flooding in the streets, there’s a lot more happening with regard to climate. In the summer of 2023, the first two months were completely dry and then it poured the rest of the summer. Those first two months were a real concern.

What, if any, additional resources do you think DPW might need to address climate mitigation and adaptation to protect residents and city operations from the impacts of climate change?

Spa Solar Park

As the city continues to expand, DPW needs more resources to keep up: more [workers] but also more strategies, thinking holistically about what makes the most sense for our city given climate change. Take the water management program: What does it look like for the next 20 years? [This approach] means having a long-term view rather than just planting 10 trees. It’s the same with affordable housing; it’s great to put it up, but if you do it without sidewalks, trails, bike lanes, does it support the ecosystem? The same with sustainability: as you develop more, are we still the “city in the country”? And what is that balance? So you need to be thoughtful about having a long-term vision that balances sustainability. What we don’t want to become is an urban jungle — that’s the critical piece. So you can take any element; say, our [DPW vehicle] fleet. We’d like to migrate our fleet of trucks and cars to electric; that’s part of the climate conversation, it’s part of sustainability. But you need a long-term plan to do it. Sometimes you just need a new vehicle tomorrow, so you have to balance that with a long-term vision of what the city wants to look like.

I do not like task forces. What I like is getting things done. What do we actually accomplish with the resources we have? A lot of times task forces postpone decision points. Someone has to make a decision.

The City already has a convenient curbside composting program for yard waste. Are there plans to add food waste to the City’s composting program?

We’ve thought about it but not at least from the DPW perspective. We just don’t have the infrastructure to support it.

Tell us about the DPW Helping Hands program, which you created to hire unhoused people to work for DPW.

This year we started the DPW Helping Hands program, where we’re hiring homeless individuals. We had a big problem with homeless at the garage [on Long Alley]. Now we have a homeless shelter, but that’s only one piece of the puzzle. Now that they have a roof over their heads, how do we employ them? We employ them at DPW, working on our various teams. The first person we hired is painting fire hydrants. It gives him an opportunity to be employed; he hadn’t been employed in 10 years. We’ve employed four people so far, and we want to expand it. The idea is that they stay in the program until they can roll into the private sector and get jobs there, and new folks can come in. It’s not something you stay in forever, it’s six months of solid employment for the city and a reference, and that’s a big difference. Then they can afford housing because they’re getting a paycheck.

We are, again, trying to expand what DPW is doing for the community. The problem with homelessness isn’t even just homelessness, it’s mental illness, it’s drug addiction, it’s lack of employment, lack of housing. They’re all connected, and you can’t expect a solution if you don’t think about all those levels.

What makes Saratoga Springs special?

Photo credit: Doud Kerr

I love Saratoga. It is that “city in the country” feel. I can be in the woods on trails in five minutes or downtown at great restaurants hanging out with friends. I lived in New York City for 10 years before here, and I like the pace here, the quiet, the people. My focus is always on the people who live here, not the people who visit here. First and foremost, how do we make this a wonderful place to live?

You oversee a large department. How do they view their work?

The people who work for DPW take real pride in it. There are people who’ve spent their whole careers in DPW, their whole lives. I hate the cliché, “It’s like a family,” but it is, and that’s why people want to work for DPW because it does have that feel, and also that pride of making the city beautiful. The flower crew love it when people stop and say, “Broadway looks amazing,” and people [say that also] when the holiday decorations go up. I think I have the best team.

What is your greatest goal and hope?

What I said before: that people see DPW as more than just a department that picks up leaves but as a department that drives the future of our city, particularly for our residents. We want this to be a really great place to live, so sustainability goals, whether it’s parks or bike lanes, all fall within DPW. We want to be seen as thoughtfully driving positive change for the city.