Little steps can make a big difference for conservation
It might be hard to imagine a Western Pennsylvania summer evening without the irregular flashing of fireflies, but that future is possible.
Scientists across the country and around the world have all noted drops in the firefly population. As we learned in the Thursday, May 30, edition of the Butler Eagle, a group called the Pennsylvania Firefly Festival is asking people to help out the firefly population by turning off outdoor lights in June.
There are dozens of firefly species in the United States, and not all of them have been studied well, so the reasons for the drop are not entirely clear, but scientists have found two likely culprits, according to the group Firefly Conservation and Research: development and light pollution.
Development is an issue many species are facing. As humans build buildings and develop infrastructure designed for humans, it goes where other creatures had thrived.
Light pollution, however, is something nearly everyone can help with. Researchers believe bright, constant lights outdoors make it hard for fireflies to spot the distinctive flashes that are part of their mating routine.
Jeffrey Calta, president of the Pennsylvania Firefly Festival, said the effect can be dramatic.
“Everyone has a light. No one likes the darkness anymore,” Calta said. “And yet there are so many creatures, including fireflies, that need the dark. If you install a mercury vapor light on a telephone pole in a field where they had been mating and living before, they will disappear because they can't see each other.”
So doing something as easy as turning off an outdoor light when it isn’t needed could help local populations stay healthy.
That would be a bright future indeed.
— JK
