Lawsuit filed to change Maui’s street lighting citing its effect on endangered birds

A Hawaiian petrel chick is shown in its burrow. Environmental groups are suing Maui County and Hawaiian Electric, saying that street lighting is impairing the birds’ ability to navigate using the moon and stars. USFWS photo/Andre Raine
Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Honolulu against Maui County and Hawaiian Electric to change the kind of street lighting on the Valley Isle that allegedly impairs the navigation of three bird species.
The three species that use the moon and stars to navigate out to sea and back leave their nests at night and can become disoriented because of the artificial light, causing them to circle and eventually fall to the ground from exhaustion, according to the lawsuit filed Tuesday.
The environmental groups alleged once grounded, the birds cannot become airborne and fall prey to predators.
Earthjustice attorney David Henkin representing the American Bird Conservancy and the Conservation Council for Hawaii said the county and Hawaiian Electric are required to propose mitigative measures, but neither has implemented an effective program.
Conservation Council executive director Jonee Peters said there are proven solutions for reducing light attraction, and one proven method in Hawaii County is to reduce the blue-light content of its streetlights..
“Maui should follow suit,” Peters said.
Environmental groups say they want to reduce the ongoing threats posed by county streetlights to the survival and recovery of the endangered ‘Ua’u (Hawaiian petrel) and ‘AkÄ“‘akÄ” (HawaiÊ»i’s band-rumped storm-petrel) and the threatened ‘A’o (Newell’s shearwater).
American Bird Conservancy official Brad Keith said today’s populations of both the ‘Ua’u and ‘A’o are only a small fraction of their historical numbers.
“Threats like the county’s streetlights continue to drive declines,” Keith said. “These streetlights are particularly dangerous for fledglings just starting to learn to navigate by moon and starlight, but adult birds can also suffer from fallout.”
Hawaiian Electric and Maui County officials responded to questions about the lawsuit in a statement.
“We are committed to protecting seabirds as demonstrated by the settlement announced earlier this month in which the company agreed to continue its work to minimize potential impacts to seabirds and increasing their populations,” company officials wrote in the statement. “We are also committed to working with the conservation groups and Maui County to reach a timely and effective resolution of this matter.”