Making it Safer for Sea Turtles During Their Nesting and Hatching Season (May 1 - October 31)...
Information for this report was compiled from the Santa Rosa Island Authority and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, "Understanding, Assessing, and Resolving Light-Pollution Problems on Sea Turtle Nesting Beaches."
Steps That Will Make Sea Turtle Hatchlings Safer
Residents can help make the area safer for sea turtles during their nesting and hatching season, which begins May 1 and concludes October 31.
Less light means a better chance of survival for the sea turtles, which are protected by the Endangered Species Act.
Residential Properties:
• Remove unneeded fixtures or lights.
• Use low-pressure sodium vapor lights.
• Place outdoor lights on motion sensors so they don't burn needlessly.
• Attach shields to block beachside lights.
• Place security lights on motion sensors.
• Tint windows; close curtains after dark.
• Use directional fixtures which can be aimed down and away from the beach.
• Move fixtures to block them from beach view.
• Use yellow “bug” lights of 50 watts or less; they're less likely to attract sea turtles.
• Reduce height of fixtures.
• Place lights below dune line or shield with vegetation.
• Do not use spotlights on the beach.
How Beach Lighting Makes Sea Turtles Vulnerable
Lights, even from distant homes, can lead to the deaths of sea turtles and their hatchlings.
Light on the beach disorients the turtles and their hatchlings, luring them away from the water and leaving them vulnerable to other animals, exhaustion, passing automobiles and the morning sun.
Sea turtles nest in the dunes of Santa Rosa Island from May through August; the babies hatch from mid-July to the end of October.
At hatching time, up to 150 hatchlings burst from the nest and dash to the relative safety of the Gulf of Mexico. Moving quickly from the nest to the sea is vital to their survival.
Lights attract and endanger sea turtles. They are drawn away from the water by street lights, porch and deck lights, even lights visible through windows of buildings hundreds of feet away.
A single light near a nesting beach can misdirect hundreds of turtles and lead to their death.
Lights and weather are major enemies of sea turtles. For example, 13 nests were found on Pensacola Beach last year. Twelve were loggerhead turtle nests and one was a nest for green turtles.
- Four nests were lost to Hurricane Earl, which rumbled erratically through the Gulf of Mexico in early July before coming ashore near Panama City.
- Hatchlings at all of the remaining nests were disoriented and began crawling toward lights in the area. National Park Service staffers were present to reorient most of the hatchlings, but two of the nests hatched when Park Service personnel were not present. Some of these hatchlings were rescued but most died.
Repositioning Beach Park Lights to Minimize Distraction to Turtle Hatchlings
Gulf Power crews can redirect the lights at beach front recreation parks to help encourage the survival of sea turtle hatchings. This should reduce distractions for sea turtles nesting nearby and encourage the hatchlings to travel directly to the gulf.
A recent survey of Pensacola Beach's gulf front helped determine areas of excessive lighting that can hurt sea turtles. The survey was conducted by a team of representatives from the Santa Rosa Island Authority, Gulf Power, the National Park Service, the Pensacola Beach Residents and Leaseholders Association, and the Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce.
The survey showed the extensive impact of lights, even lights from homes not directly on the gulf. As a result, Island Authority staffers will contact leaseholders who had the highest concentration of lights and discuss ways to reduce light shining on the beach.
Island Authority Encourages Citizen Cooperation
The Island Authority encourages citizen cooperation. If you see sea turtles on the beach, please call the National Park Service, 916-3010.
Choose Lights That Won't Hurt Sea Turtles, Hatchlings
Low-pressure sodium-vapor (LPS) lighting emits a pure-yellow light that seems to affect nesting turtles less than light from other sources, at least for loggerheads and green turtles.
LPS lighting has both advantages and disadvantages:
Expense: LPS initially costs substantially more than incandescent or fluorescent lights because it uses more expensive bulbs and ballasts. But operating costs are generally much lower for LPS than for any other commercial source.
Color: LPS sources are monochromatic and therefore give poor color rendition. But full-spectrum color is seldom needed for safety and security. For example, U.S. Air Force bases near nesting beaches in Florida use LPS lights for most outside security areas.
Disposal: The lamps within LPS luminaries contain elemental sodium, which can cause fires if disposed of carelessly. However, unlike some other lamps, the contents of LPS lamps are not toxic.
Availability: LPS luminaries are not as readily available in retail stores as other light sources, but manufacturers offer a wide selection.
When using other conventional lighting systems, adjust the fixtures to keep the light from being visible from the nesting beach.
Completely shielding fixtures with a sheet of metal flashing can reduce stray light reaching the beach. Louvered step lighting is one of the best ways to light balconies that are visible from nesting beaches.
For parking areas near nesting beaches, low-mounted, louvered bollard fixtures are preferred, but fully hooded floodlights also can direct light accurately and reduce stray light.
If You See A Turtle
Remember, if you encounter a nesting sea turtle on the beach stay clear. Do not shine lights or take flash photographs. When frightened the nesting turtle will return to the water where she will drop her eggs. If you see an injured, nesting or dead sea turtle, call the Florida Marine Patrol at 1-800-DIAL FMP.
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