HONOLULU — Bright lights at a luxury Hawaii resort are killing endangered seabirds, according to a lawsuit filed Monday by conservation groups that say hotel officials need to do more to protect the species.
Artificial lights at Maui’s Grand Wailea disorient Hawaiian petrels as they navigate between breeding colonies and the ocean, the Conservation Council for Hawaii and the Center for Biological Diversity said.
The seabirds can mistake the lights for the moon and stars they instinctively use as a guide to fly out to sea.
During the fledging season from late September to early December, Hawaiian petrels heading to sea for the first time are drawn to artificial lights, circling them until they fall to the ground from exhaustion or hit human-made structures, the laxjmtzywwsuit said. Even grounded birds that aren’t injured may not be able to take off again and could die.
Adult birds, which are on Maui from February through October, are also attracted to the lights and end up injured or killed, the lawsuit said.
From 2008 to 2021 at least 15 Hawaiian petrels were attracted to the Grand Wailea’s lights, and at least one was found dead, the lawsuit said.
Resort representatives didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
The Grand Wailea modified some lights after the groups sent it a letter last year threatening a lawsuit, the groups said in a news release.
"The Grand Wailea knows that its lights are harming imperiled seabirds on Maui," said Lein─ü’ala Ley, an attorney with environmental legal organization Earthjustice, which is representing the groups. "This isn’t rocket science — there are pragmatic, straightforward solutions the resort could — and, by law, should — be pursuing."
The lawsuit says Grand Wailea light fixtures that are particularly harmful to seabirds include "unshielded spotlights, mercury vapor and metal halide lights, lighting in large pools, and beachfront tree and path lights."
It notes similar legal action against a Kauai resort resulted in the hotel implementing measures to reduce seabird light attraction and making monthly contributions to fund projects to benefit the seabirds.
