WPR’s Weekends with Lee Rayburn hosts Lights Out Wisconsin
Learn about light pollution, the impacts it has on wildlife and people and the sollutions to reduce those impacts with Lights Out Wisconsin and the Kickapoo Valley Dark Sky Initiative on WPR’s Weekends with Lee Rayburn show.
Lights Out Alert issued for the night of Wednesday, September 9
Extremely high bird migration is forecasted over Wisconsin tomorrow night, September 9, as 29.8 million birds are forecasted to fly over the state.
On peak migration nights, let’s turn out unnecessary outdoor lights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. and help make our communities safer for birds.
Lights Out Alert issued for the night of August 26
Extremely high bird migration is forecasted over Wisconsin tonight, Aug. 26 as 19 million birds are forecast to fly over at night. The predicted high level of bird traffic is triggering a Lights Out Alert nearly statewide.
Peak bird migration arrives early and triggers Lights Out Alert overnight Wednesday, Aug. 26!
Extremely high bird migration is expected over Wisconsin tomorrow, Wednesday night, Aug. 26, triggering a Lights Out Alert nearly statewide as peak bird migration arrives a bit early.
People are urged to turn off non-essential outdoor lights overnight from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. during fall migration and particularly on high migration nights to reduce risks to birds.
Learn the science behind bird migration forecasts and Lights Out Alerts
Join in a free webinar on Wednesday, Aug. 26, at 7 p.m. to learn how weather radar helps forecast bird migrations and Lights Out Alerts to protect birds, from one of the scientists behind these tools.
The Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks This Week
The Perseid Meteor Shower is one of the year's most spectacular night sky events, and this year, viewing conditions should be especially good thanks to dark, moonless skies.
Lights Out Wisconsin is encouraging everyone to help restore darker skies by turning off or dimming non-essential outdoor lighting and closing window shades or blinds to reduce light spill to the outdoors.
Turn down the lights to turn up the glow!
Peak firefly season in Wisconsin runs from mid-June through late July, but many species can be seen from May through the end of August.
Lights Out Wisconsin is urging everyone to turn off or dim non-essential outdoor lights and close window shades from sunset to sunrise to help fireflies communicate and reproduce.
Another massive bird migration forecast statewide for the night of May 14
Another massive wave of migrating birds is on its way to Wisconsin, bringing calls from scientists to turn off non-essential outdoor lights on the night of May 14 and other nights over the next two weeks when Lights Out Alerts are forecast in some or all of the state.
Photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren
Lights Out Alert forecast for tonight, May 11, across entire state
Extremely high bird migration is expected over Wisconsin tonight, May 11, and scientists from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Purdue University forecast a Lights Out Alert statewide.
People are urged to turn off non-essential outdoor lights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. tonight, and ideally, throughout the bird migration season ending in mid-June.
Photo by Kelly Colgan Azar
Bird migration & Lights Out alerts in Wisconsin
For the first time this spring, Wisconsin communities have been added to the list of places receiving specific bird migration forecasts and Lights Out alerts from the scientists at Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Purdue University.
Photo by Kelly Colgan Azar
International Dark Sky Week & Lights Out Wisconsin
The Lights Out Wisconsin coalition joins in the celebration of International Dark Sky Week (April 13-20, 2026). This global celebration of the wonder and importance of the night raises awareness about the harmful effects of light pollution. It also calls attention to the darkness needed to sustain critical wildlife ecosystems.
Photo by Joel Tonyan FCC
Lights Out Alert issued statewide in Wisconsin for Wednesday night, Sept. 24
White-hot levels of bird migration are forecast for Wisconsin on Wednesday night, Sept. 24, spurring Wisconsin bird conservation groups and Dark Skies International chapters to urge residents, businesses and municipal officials to turn off nonessential outdoor lights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on that night to save birds.
Graphic courtesy of AeroEcoLab