Label
Toledo Lights Out
Council Member Gadus
Title
Supporting the Glass City River Wall solar lighting project commitment to the Toledo Lights Out Campaign.
Summary
WHEREAS, the Glass City River Wall phase one was completed in 2022, and is now considered the largest outdoor mural in the United States and offers a stunning and welcoming visual to the gateway of Toledo; and
WHEREAS, the current phase of the Glass City River Wall is to complete a solar lighting project that is sustainable, educational, and will have a positive impact across many sectors; and
WHEREAS, in 2018, the City of Toledo recognized Lucas County as a Bird-Safe/ Bird-Friendly Community through participation in the Ohio Lights Out Campaign.
WHEREAS, the City of Toledo supports a transformation of our riverfront that enhances our quality of life for residents and tourists alike while highlighting our riverfront’s regional draw as an opportunity to see the largest mural in the United States and visit the Warbler Capital of the World; and
WHEREAS, Destination Toledo has estimated the Glass City River Wall has accounted for $3.3 million in economic development and tourism has increased by 82%, and the mural remains a major visitation driver to accompany the work along the riverfront; and
WHEREAS, the Black Swamp Bird Observatory has been working in partnership with Metroparks Toledo, to expand the Lights Out Toledo Campaign as part of a larger effort, Bird-Safe/ Bird Friendly Toledo, to make the city safer for migratory and breeding birds; and
WHEREAS, the Black Swamp Bird Observatory promotes conservation and economic development through birding, through the organization and hosting of The Biggest Week In American Birding festival that coincides with the peak of spring songbird migration in northwest Ohio. Bringing more than 90,000 birders from all over the world, generating an annual economic impact of more than $40 million.
WHEREAS, every spring and fall, millions of birds migrate through Ohio on their way to or from their breeding grounds. For birds migrating at night, lights on tall buildings or lights aimed at the sky can disorient them and draw them in, causing them to strike windows or circle buildings until they fall from exhaustion. Bird collisions are one of the a leading causes of bird fatality during migration in North America, estimated to kill 550 million as many as a billion birds each year. The goal of the Ohio Lights Out Campaign is to reduce bird fatalities caused by collisions with buildings and windows in Ohio; and
WHEREAS the Ohio Lights Out Campaign will be adding the Glass City River Wall to the buildings already enrolled in the program; and
WHEREAS, buildings enrolled in the Ohio Lights Out Campaign pledge to reduce lighting by taking as many of the following steps as possible:
1. Turn off exterior decorative lighting
2. Dim lobby and atrium lighting
3. Turn off interior lights or draw blinds, especially on upper floors
4. Consider reducing the reflectivity of glass surfaces, especially those adjacent to green spaces
These steps should be taken during peak hours of migratory hours between midnight and dawn, during every spring migration from March 15 to June 1, and during migration from August 15 to October 31 every year;
NOW THEREFORE, Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Toledo:
SECTION 1. That the City of Toledo will continue to support and help raise awareness of the Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative’s Ohio Lights Out campaign and strive to become Bird-Safe / Bird Friendly city:
SECTION 2. That the City of Toledo recognizes that the participation of the Glass City River Wall in the Toledo Lights Out Campaign will make the passage safer for migratory.
SECTION 3. That this Resolution shall take effect and be in full force from and after the earliest period allowed by law.
Vote on emergency clause: yeas 12, nays 0.
Adopted: April 24, 2024, as an emergency measure: yeas 12, nays 0.
Attest:
Julie A. Gibbons Carrie Hartman
Clerk of Council President of Council
Approved: April 24, 2024
Wade Kapszukiewicz
Mayor