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New rule restricts outdoor lighting in Hawaii to help birds
New legislation in Hawaii will restrict the amount of outdoor lighting residents can use in Maui in an attempt to lower the amount of bird strikes against buildings. While the restricted lighting may help birds, some Hawaiians oppose the bill, since it could effectively ban traditional cultural activities like Luau performances and nighttime hula dances. While bird strikes have been proven to be an issue in well-lit cities with tall buildings, Maui is mostly rural. Some oppose the bill made by the Maui County Council’s Climate Action, Resilience and Environment Committee as the rule was based on a single, non-peer-reviewed study. Some conservation groups support the bill.