Marathon Petroleum : goes dark to protect migrating birds

Marathon Petroleum's San Antonio Office is again participating in the Lights Out Texas initiative to provide a safer environment for birds during fall migration. The Texan by Nature initiative encourages businesses to minimize light emission during peak bird migration periods. Between Sept. 5 and Oct. 29, the office will take increased measures to reduce non-essential lighting that can cause disorientation and increased risk of collisions for birds on their journey south for the winter.

How we help:

• Shut off exterior landscape lighting (except for pathways)
• Turn off main lighting on unoccupied floors beginning at 7 p.m. nightly (emergency lighting remains)
• Close blinds on floors that are occupied on a 24-hour basis to minimize light emission

In 2020, Texan by Nature named Marathon Petroleum an honoree on its TxN20 list for its conservation efforts.

'Marathon Petroleum takes great pride in our conservation efforts across the country. One of the ways we can help do that in San Antonio is by being aware of nature and taking action to protect migratory birds,' said VJ Smith, Stakeholder Engagement Manager for Marathon Petroleum.

You can track the bird migration traffic across the U.S. in real-time using the migration tools from BirdCast by clicking here. To learn more about Texan by Nature, founded by former First Lady Laura Bush, click the link here.