Why Has the St. Louis Arch Gone Dark?

If you are driving through St. Louis at night, you will notice the most recognizable landmark in the city is gone from the fluorescent skyline. Or at least much harder to see.

Our cousins live in "The Lou," and we love going to visit. We are overdue for a trip to the zoo, Union Station, a baseball game, and I don't know that my husband or son has ever taken a trip up that little creaking pod to the top of The Arch. It's always fun to see that swooping structure driving into town, but if you do so at night in the month of September, it will be in the dark.

Every year during bird migration time, it is lights out! That happens in May, and it's happening right now. Turning off glowing distractions can help our feathered friends make their way to their winter homes. Especially when the lights are high in the sky, such as the Arch.

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The Gateway Arch National Park shared its reasoning for being so considerate in a press release. "According to the National Park Service, 40% of the nation’s migratory waterfowl use the Mississippi River corridor during their spring and fall migration."

They've been doing this twice a year since 2002, and even updated their lighting to have less glare during the rest of the year, but the best way to help is by turning them off completely. You can help too. I know lots of people who turn those porch lights off during bird migration as well.