Conservation Council for Hawaii and the Center for Biological Diversity say the Grand Wailea Resort must be barred at certain times of the year from using bright lights at night. A pair of environmental groups is asking a federal judge to force the Grand Wailea Resort on Maui to stop using bright outdoor lights during the two-month window when endangered Hawaiian petrels are fledging. Conservation Council for Hawaii and the Center for Biological Diversity are seeking a preliminary injunction to prohibit the Grand Wailea from using “externally visible lights” between Oct.
1 and Nov. 30. That’s when juvenile Hawaiian petrels make their inaugural flights from their nests.
The endangered seabirds are attracted by the artificial lights, sometimes becoming disoriented and circling the lights until they fall to the ground from exhaustion or strike objects like power lines or windows. Once grounded, they can suffer injuries or fall prey to feral cats, rats or other predators. Conservation Council for Hawaii and the Center for Biological Diversity sued the resort in May for failing to obtain an Endangered Species Act permit that would require it to take steps to minimize harm to Hawaiian petrels or offset harm through habitat restoration and other conservation activities.
The injunction seeks to protect the petrels while the lawsuit wends its way through federal court. A spokesperson for the Grand Wailea could not be reached for comment on Monday. The groups reached a settlement.