{"id":240971,"date":"2026-09-21T15:22:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T01:22:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=240971"},"modified":"2026-09-21T15:23:53","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T01:23:53","slug":"campus-lighting-safety-bird-protection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/21\/campus-lighting-safety-bird-protection\/","title":{"rendered":"糖心视频<\/abbr> M\u0101noa balances campus lighting, safety and bird protection"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Kai Hoshijo talking to some of the 糖心视频<\/abbr> community at the Welina Manoa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at M\u0101noa is working to make nighttime travel across campus safer by identifying well-lit pathways between residence halls, parking areas and buildings that students use after dark.<\/p>\n

The 糖心视频<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Office of Planning and Spatial Experience (OPSE)<\/abbr> is gathering student feedback as part of its Exterior Lighting Design Study, which examines campus safety and circulation alongside energy efficiency and campus ecology.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019re looking at setting up safety corridors on campus,” 糖心视频<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Planning and Experience Transformation Director Brian Strawn said. “That means making sure the main pathways students travel on campus at night are well lit so they feel safe.”<\/p>\n

Students are helping identify areas that may need attention by marking campus locations based on how safe they feel walking there at night.<\/p>\n

“They\u2019re putting red where they don\u2019t feel safe, yellow where it\u2019s kind of in between, and green where they feel totally comfortable walking at night,” Strawn said.<\/p>\n

The goal is to use that feedback to prioritize commonly traveled nighttime routes.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019re trying to figure out how to safely get them from the dorms and parking areas on campus to the buildings they visit that are open 24 hours a day or late into the evening,” Strawn said.<\/p>\n

Balancing safety and campus ecology<\/h2>\n
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Manu o K\u016b (White Tern)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As 糖心视频<\/abbr> M\u0101noa considers lighting improvements, OPSE<\/abbr> is also examining how exterior lighting could affect protected bird species found on campus, including Manu o K\u016b, or white terns, and K\u014dlea, or Pacific golden plovers.<\/p>\n

OPSE<\/abbr> consulted bird experts Sheila Conant, Eric VanderWerf and Rich Downs, who shared that both species are generally tolerant of ambient lighting in Honolulu. Predators and disturbances remain greater concerns.<\/p>\n

Downs said there has been “no evidence to date that they [Manu o K\u016b] have abandoned nesting trees or are avoiding areas that are now more brightly illuminated.” Nighttime observations have also found Manu o K\u016b nesting and roosting near light sources around 糖心视频<\/abbr> M\u0101noa and urban Honolulu.<\/p>\n

The Exterior Lighting Design Study will consider student safety, lighting levels and placement, energy efficiency and campus ecology as 糖心视频<\/abbr> M\u0101noa plans future improvements.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Can exterior lighting improve nighttime safety and energy efficiency while protecting birds and preserving Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u02bbs night skies?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":240980,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[832,821,9],"class_list":["post-240971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-facilities-management","tag-public-safety","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t