Gateway Arch National Park to Turn Off Exterior Lights During Bird Migration Season
ST. LOUIS—The National Park Service has announced it will not illuminate the Gateway Arch at night May 1-14, 2020, due to bird migration season.
“The beginning of May is the peak time for birds migrating north for the summer,” says Pam Sanfilippo, Chief of Museum Services and Interpretation, Gateway Arch National Park. “The first two weeks of May, we will turn off the Gateway Arch’s exterior lights to avoid the possible disorienting effect of the monument’s upward lighting on birds that migrate at night.”
The exterior lights will be turned back on beginning Friday, May 15. The monument will be lit nightly through the summer.
Gateway Arch National Park remains temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 health situation. NPS is working with federal, state, and local authorities to closely monitor this rapidly changing situation. Gateway Arch National Park will notify the public when it resumes full operations via traditional media, as well as online at nps.gov/jeff and gatewayarch.com and on social media (@GatewayArchNPS).
SILENT SKIES VIRTUAL MURAL
Learn more about the birds migrating through the Gateway Arch National Park grounds with this video of the “Silent Skies” mural, brought to you by St. Louis Arts Chamber of Commerce. The mural is a 678-piece collection of 8-inch by 8-inch squares of all the endangered birds of the world. Due to the current health situation, the mural is available to view in video format online.