St. Louis Gateway Arch Going Lights Out—What to Know

If you're accustomed to seeing lights luminating the Gateway Arch in St. Louis during the nighttime hours, you'll need to get used to darkness starting Friday as those lights won't be turned on for very good reasons.

The Gateway Arch shared the reason why the monument is going dark starting Friday, May 1

In case you can't read the small print from their social media post, the Gateway Arch is shutting the lights off starting Friday, May 1 because of the birds. The Arch has gone dark every year at this time since 2002 in an effort to not have the lights confuse migrating birds who fly over the St. Louis area and the Midwest in the millions. The lights on the Arch can confuse the navigation for the birds which creates a mortality rate that should not be. That's why it's a good idea for homeowners to follow suit and go light-less for the month of May if possible. The less light pollution on the ground, the better off the birds are.