Costco Lighting and Its Effect on Animal Well Being
...Your Well Being Included!
Published below is a letter from one of our members who is concerned with the amount of light that will be emitted from the new Lawrence Costco store and what we can try to do about it.
Hello everyone,
Do you long to see more stars at night here in Lawrence? To see the shadows cast by trees by the light of a full moon? To see the birds, butterflies, and pollinators get a break?
Dark sky lighting could help meet those goals, especially for our critters. But Lawrence is growing, which means our light pollution may grow alongside all the new construction. Consider the extremely large Costco that is being built over near Overland and K10 here in Lawrence. There is already a LOT of light pollution in that area and I think we can expect even more as the project nears completion. All that light makes it harder for humans to get their sleep, and messes with animals’ internal clocks and ability to navigate, which then increases the risk of birds crashing into structures.
The US Department of Fish and Wildlife’s website also says that this is particularly problematic when there is lower cloud cover. They also offer a slew of suggestions including information on types and colors of light as well as types of light fixtures that are protective of birds, butterflies, and critters. https://www.fws.gov/story/threats-birds-collisions-nighttime-lighting
Even Lamps Plus now features a section on residential dark sky lighting. So maybe it is time Lawrence made its voice heard with Costco. When asked, the company’s corporate customer service did not have information on what type of exterior lighting will be installed in this VERY large building (a city source mentioned that it is the 15th largest Costco in the world but I have no additional independent verification). So…
What can we do to encourage dark sky lighting? Please consider contacting Lawrence City Commissioners and asking for their help in making dark sky lighting the standard in this instance and throughout Lawrence. You will probably need to copy and paste the email addresses.
Mayor Brad Finkeldei – (785) 550-9699 | bfinkeldei@lawrenceks.gov
Vice Mayor Mike Courtney – (785)-202-2267 | mcourtney@lawrenceks.gov
Commissioner Mike Dever – (785) 550-4909 | mdever@lawrenceks.gov
Commissioner Kristine Polian | kpolian@lawrenceks.gov
Commissioner Amber Sellers – (785) 813-1381 | asellers@lawrenceks.gov
And then… please also consider emailing Costco as soon as possible. Hop onto the Costco website, you do NOT need to log on. There is a blue tab in the middle on the right-hand edge of the page that says FEEDBACK. Anyone can click on that feedback button and send a note to corporate requesting dark sky lighting for their warehouse in Lawrence, Kansas. Be sure to click on the portion that says WEBSITE; that is the selection that will send your note to corporate.
Thank you for your time and attention.
A Lawrence Maverick, Lawrence, Kansas
