Vicksburg National Military Park is going green in order to shed new light — literally — on the subject of environmental leadership.

Light fixtures at the visitor center on Clay Street and at the USS Cairo Museum are coming down and new solar-powered lights are going up as the park stays in step with federal policy on “sustainable practices,” according to a release issued Tuesday.

Installation of nine solar-powered pole units and six walkway lights was to start today and be fully connected within a week, park superintendent Mike Madell said this morning.

“It should be a lot brighter there and we should use a lot less energy,” he said.

Current light fixtures are more than 20 years old, the release said. Staff will have a chance to educate the public on the benefits of renewable energy and build the 1,852-acre park’s reputation as an “eco-friendly” park, it said.

Two of the fixtures are going to the Cairo museum to illuminate the exhibit’s parking lot and improve security there, Madell said.

When complete, the park’s energy bills will be reduced and provide “environmentally conscious-minded visitors with an enhanced experience and promote solar power as an alternative energy source in keeping with the ideals of the NPS Green Parks Plan,” the release said.

The lights are funded by the National Park Service’s Recreational Fee Demonstration Program, using money collected at VNMP through user fees.