An agreement signed today clears the way for tonight’s first nighttime football game during fledgling seabirds season on Kauai in seven years.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service earlier today signed an agreement with Kauai County allowing four night games this football season — the first tonight, on Sept. 30, Oct. 7 and Nov. 4.

Football games on the Garden Isle have been a daytime affair since 2010, when the shift was made to accommodate the season from Sept. 15 to Dec. 15 when fledgling endangered Newell’s shearwaters are at risk of harm from bright lights — which the seabirds can mistake for the moon and stars they instinctively use as a guide to fly out to sea. It was determined that young seabirds trying to find the sea and confused by stadium lights often fell to the ground from exhaustion.

The schedule change to day from night was made after the county admitted guilt in September 2010 to violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act protecting Newell’s shearwaters because of its lighting policies at county facilities, including stadium lights during night football games. The county paid a fine and took corrective measures under a plea agreement. All lights at parking facilities on the island have since been retrofitted or replaced with shielded lights at an estimated cost of $5.4 million.

“I think we look at this as another example of collaboration with the community, state and federal agencies to continue the mission of conservation,” said Aaron Ochoa, spokesman of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Conservation cannot be achieved with one organization, he added.

Waimea High School’s homecoming football game is scheduled tonight at Hanapepe Stadium.

The four dates for nighttime football games were selected because the days were considered either early or late in the seabird fledgling season and that “shielding of the stadium lighting and/or moon presence in the evenings will minimize any anticipated takings,” according to the agreement.

The Newell’s shearwater population on Kauai has dramatically declined since the 1990s due to light distractions and predators such as feral cats.

Moving football games to days had angered many Kauai residents who felt the conservation of seabirds took precedence over the safety of children playing football under the hot sun, according to State Rep. Jimmy Tokioka who represents Wailua Homesteads, Hanamaulu, Lihue, Puhi, Old Koloa Town and Omao.

Many are elated over the return of night games.

“We don’t have many activities as they do on Oahu and other islands,” Tokioka said, adding night games had been a longstanding tradition for the community for many years — allowing residents from all sides of island to converge and support the schools.

“To be able to have the families to enjoy the evenings and be with the children and the community…it’s great for us,” Kauai complex area superintendent Bill Arakaki said.

Though four games will be held at night, six are still scheduled during the day this year.

Under the agreement, the county will set aside $60,000 to mitigate impacts to seabirds during the football season. Any grounded seabirds are expected to be recovered and transported to the Save Our Shearwaters program.

Staff from the county Department of Parks and Recreation will monitor the grounds during football games with volunteers from the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) of Waimea, Kapaa and Kauai high schools.

Officials recently trained the JROTC at Waimea High for tonight’s football game. The JROTC at Kapaa and Kauai high schools will soon undergo training for the upcoming football games in the coming weeks.

The training and volunteer work is intended to educate students about the conservation of seabirds.

The memorandum of understanding was made as the county continues to work on the Kauai Seabird Habitat Conservation Plan.