We’re midway through the spring 2024 edition of Lights Out Connecticut. Newtown Conservation Commission is encouraging residents to support Audubon’s Lights Out program to save migratory birds from deadly window collisions caused by artificial lighting. NCC members are asking homeowners and businesses to turn off the lights between 11 pm and 6 am April 1 through May 31. Connecticut is part of the Atlantic Flyway for billions of birds that migrate north in the spring. Most migratory birds fly at night, navigating by the night sky. They do this to avoid daytime heat and thermals that destabilize flight conditions. Cover of darkness also provides protection from predators. Bright artificial lights and skyglow disorientate migrating birds. Drawn off course, birds expend energy flying around and calling out in confusion. Exhaustion leaves them vulnerable to many threats including collisions with buildings and windows. Reducing light pollution is extremely important in preventing bird mortality. Every year, about 1 million birds are killed in the United States when they collide with buildings. For more information, visit newtownconservation.org.

If you find yourself going past Trinity Church on Saturday and out of the corner of your eye it looks like people are walking in circles, you won’t be completely incorrect. May 4, will mark the 15th Annual World Labyrinth Day, a time when thousands of people globally will “Walk as One at 1” for peace. People everywhere are encouraged to walk a labyrinth at 1 pm in their local time zone. Locally, Trinity Episcopal Church will host an event at its labyrinth, behind the church near the gazebo. Easiest access is by using the church’s shared driveway with Newtown Hook & Ladder, at 12 Church Hill Road. Access to the labyrinth is from the northern end of the parking lot. The idea behind the international observance is to create a rolling wave of unified healing energy around the world. All are invited to join members of the church that afternoon. Reservations are not required. Additional information may be available by contacting the church office at 203-426-9070 or visiting trinitynewtownct.org.

NUSAR members aren’t walking in circles, but they may still be high-fiving each other following a very positive Spring Open House last weekend. The local volunteer search and rescue dive team opened its headquarters on Riverside Road for four hours on April 27, and the public responded to the opportunity to learn about the all-volunteer emergency response team and what it does. NUSAR Vice President Dawn Singer called the event “a huge success” and said she and fellow NUSAR teammates met a lot of new people while also seeing many familiar faces. Reporter Jenna Visca was among those to visit the event, which included a huge goldfish tank and the opportunity to meet Resources in Search And Rescue (RSAR) search and rescue dog Finn. Jenna’s recap from Saturday can be found elsewhere in this week’s paper.

Flags should be lowered on Sunday for the annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend. President Biden is expected to release a proclamation announcing the observance, which this year will honor 226 fallen firefighters — 89 of whom died in 2023 and 137 others who died in previous years — during events at the national fallen firefighters memorial in Emmitsburg, Md., this weekend. North Haven FD Lieutenant Anthony A. DeSimone, 50, is one of the Connecticut firefighters being added to the memorial this year. A Candlelight Service for families will be conducted Saturday night. The Memorial Service for all families, friends and fellow firefighters will be Sunday at 10 am, and will be livestreamed. Flags should be lowered at sunrise and raised at sunset on May 5.

If you’re anything like someone at The Newtown Bee office who still has their solar eclipse glasses from last month on their desk, collecting dust, can I make a suggestion? Share them. C.H. Booth Library is collecting solar eclipse glasses for CT Eye Care, who will ship them to South America ahead of an October 2 “ring of fire” annual solar eclipse there. It’s going to be a smaller scale event than what we enjoyed on April 8 — only 175,000 people will have the opportunity to experience totality during the autumn event vs the estimated 43.8 million people who experienced last month’s solar eclipse — but we can still make sure everyone in the region has an opportunity to do so safely. A donation box is available on the second floor of the library, 25 Main Street, in front of the service desk for those glasses you should pass on to others.

You don’t need special glasses to watch a full moon. May’s full moon, called the Flower Moon, will appear on Thursday, May 23, reaching peak illumination at 9:53 am (EDT). It will be below the horizon at that time, however, so for the best view of the full moon, step outside on the overnight of May 22-23 or even May 23-24 and look for that big, bright lunation. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, the name of this month’s moon has been attributed to Algonquin peoples. It was also (still according to the Almanac) likely a Dakota name for the full moon that appears during the month when flowers spring forth across North America.

It was Alex Villamil for the hat trick on Monday, when the longtime resident visited 5 Church Hill Road with three tasks in mind. Alex first sat down for this week’s Snapshot interview (see page A-2, and our website after May 15). He then spoke with Reporter Jenna Visca to (successfully) propose a story about a project involving two local Rotary Clubs and Newtown and Danbury high school students. He then chatted with Co-Publisher Sherri Smith Baggett, who agreed to make our office the newest location for Newtown Rotary Club’s Second Newtown Rotary Restaurant Raffle. Launched on St Patrick’s Day, this year’s raffle is limited to 2,000 tickets, with three big prizes being offered. Winners will divide a pot of $100 gift cards from thirty local restaurants. The first prize winner will win 15 gift cards, each valued at $100, for 15 restaurants. Second prize is 10 gift cards, and third prize is five gift cards. Tickets are $20 each and now available when our office is open (weekdays, generally 8 am to 5 pm, earlier and later by chance) as well as at Rotary tables outside local businesses on weekends and through newtownctrotary.org. Payment is with cash or check (no credit/debit cards). The drawing will be at Newtown Community Center on Tuesday, June 11, at 7:30 pm. Proceeds from the NRRR will go back to the community to support local charities, organizations, and programs.

Some of my favorite restaurants are among those participating in the Rotary raffle, so I’m certainly hoping my ticket will be one of the winning ones drawn next month. Even if I don’t win, I know I can count on my humans to keep putting food and water out for me. Bears, however, don’t understand that garbage cans and bird feeders are not open invitations to enjoy a meal. Newtown residents continue to seem surprised to see bears on their security cameras, tearing into those containers. If they don’t capture the action on video, the aftereffects are still clear when feeders are knocked off their posts or garbage cans are destroyed by the mammals that love digging in for a good dinner when they don’t think anyone is around.

It could be worse. At least our local bears aren’t taking after 2-year-old brown bear Juniper at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Wash., who ate some ducklings that had flown into her habitat while the zoo was open last week. She was only following her natural instincts, I know, but for those who were there, it must have been traumatizing. As far as I know, our bears are keeping with bird seed and trash … at least when we’re watching.

I promise to watch and listen for new things to share with you if you promise to come back next week and … read me again.