Membership Meetings
September Membership Meeting and Presentation
with Patty Giffin from DarkSky Olympic Peninsula
Date: Saturday, September 26th
Time: 1PM to 3PM
Location: Tahoma Bird Alliance Conference Room, 2917 Morrison Rd West 98466
In observation of Lights Out Washington, we've invited Patty Giffin from DarkSky Olympic Peninsula to present on the importance of reducing light pollution year round. After the presentation, enjoy snacks, coffee and tea with members and share your favorite night time birding or nature experiences!
About the Presentation
For the Love of the Night Sky…And the Birds: Every year, billions of birds migrate across North America, most of them traveling at
night. Guided by the stars and the natural rhythms of darkness, they encounter an increasingly altered nighttime world—one filled with artificial light.
This talk about Lights Out Washington explores how artificial light at night (ALAN) affects migrating birds. But the impacts extend far beyond birds: artificial light can alter the behavior and health of insects, bats, amphibians, fish, plants, and humans, while contributing to the loss of our natural night sky.
The good news is that this is a problem we can address. Unlike many environmental threats, reducing unnecessary light can be immediate, local, and remarkably simple.
This talk invites us to see the night differently—not as empty space that needs to be illuminated, but as an essential part of the living world. Lights Out Washington is a call to protect the night, protect migrating birds, and rediscover our place within
the natural rhythms of darkness and light.
About Patty
Patty Giffin is a retired psychologist whose 40-year career focused on trauma, healing,and the human capacity to navigate profound change. She also volunteered in hospice,accompanying people at the end of life and supporting those experiencing loss. For several decades, she has taught yoga and insight meditation.
A lifelong gardener and avid lover of the outdoors, Patty finds her greatest sense of connection in hiking, skiing, biking, boating, and simply being in nature. Her love of birds and her fascination with the night began in childhood, and over the years that wonder has grown into a profound concern for the health of our natural world.
Today, Patty brings that lifelong commitment to awareness and connection to Lights Out Washington, working to help people understand how something as seemingly benign as artificial light at night can disrupt birds, wildlife, ecosystems, and our own relationship with the night. Her hope is to transform concern into action—and to inspire all of us to become better stewards of the extraordinary living world we share.
.jpeg)
Membership meetings are back! Meetings are a great way to connect with Tahoma Bird Alliance members, board, and staff. Come build your birding community!
Always check our events calendar first for the most up to date meeting info! All meetings are held at the Tahoma Bird Alliance Office unless otherwise noted.
2026 Member Meetings
-
Saturday, September 26th: Lights Out Washington: Presentation from Dark Skues and sharing favorite night time birding and nature experiences.
-
Saturday, October 24th 10:30-12:30PM: Theme to be announced.
-
Saturday, November 21st, 10:30-12:30PM: Theme to be announced.
-
December Christmas and New Years Party, Date to be announced: Celebrate a year of birding!