Artificial light pollution on our beaches is a significant marine turtle conservation problem. Light pollution confuses and disorients sea turtles in both their nesting habits and travel, killing both adult sea turtles and thousands of hatchlings in the process each year. Changing bright exterior lights to those that are of longer wavelengths, fully shielded and aimed downward will reduce or eliminate the issue and in turn will restore beaches to their natural state of darkness.
Figure 1: Loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings make their way to the ocean. Credit: Florida Sea Grant.
Converting to turtle friendly lighting fixtures & bulbs will:
- Protect adult & hatchling sea turtles
- Save you up to 75% in lighting when using long wavelength LED’s
- Compliance with local beachfront ordinances
In an effort to address sea turtle issues in the Panhandle, UF/IFAS Extension in Franklin, Bay & Gulf Counties have partnered with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to provide educational outreach, as well as assist homeowners with solving beach lighting issues. The work is supported with Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) funding in partnership with Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). The project focuses on evaluating lighting sources that can be seen from the beach and offering the replacement of non-compliant bulbs and fixtures with turtle-friendly LED bulbs and fixtures. Coastal property owners in Bay, Gulf and Franklin Counties may be eligible to receive funding to lessen artificial lighting impacts on sea turtles. This project involves working with property owners within 1,000 feet of selected conservation lands to expand the dark sky area along important sea turtle nesting beaches.
This initiative only asks homeowners to provide the installation and maintenance for the benefit of the new sea turtle friendly fixtures and bulbs.
Funds will provide for lighting retrofits, including bulbs and fixtures, based on the following three principles:
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Keep it Long: Long-wave-length lighting that is still in the portion of the spectrum visible to humans includes amber, orange and red light. Highly efficient LED bulbs certified by the FWC as turtle-friendly are now available.
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Keep it Low: Many times lighting needed for safety can be placed low enough to be unseen from the nesting beach.
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Keep it Shielded: Fixtures that are in line-of-site to the nesting beach need to be recessed to shield the bulb from being directly visible. The correct long-wave-length bulb should also be used in these shielded fixtures.
Exterior lighting is not the only danger sea turtles face from our lights. Unobstructed interior lights can be just as much of a problem. The best solution here is to tint beach-facing glass with a 15% transmittance tinting product. This project will also have funds for working with property owners to tint windows and doors that need to be shielded from the beach. By doing so, it will save money on cooling bills as well as protect interior furnishings and avoid the possibility that someone using a rental property might leave the blinds or curtains open accidentally during turtle season.
There is also good news for privately owned beachfront property, but not located within 1,000 feet of existing conservation lands. The Sea Turtle Conservancy has additional funding available to retrofit lighting for these homes. Visit their site https://conserveturtles.org/beachfront-lighting-how-you-can-help/ or call (352)373-6441 for more information.
For additional information:
A technical report has been written by FWRI scientist Blair E. Witherington and R. Erik Martin of Ecological Associates Inc. The report, “Understanding, Assessing, and Resolving Light-Pollution Problems on Sea Turtle Nesting Beaches,” also includes diagrams of common lighting fixtures and mounting positions as well as a model lighting ordinance for marine turtle protection. To view commonly asked questions or download the report, please visit: http://myfwc.com/research/wildlife/sea-turtles/threats/artificial-lighting/
Project Coordinator:
Karen Shudes
kshudes@ufl.edu
Project Field Staff:
Franklin County Turtle Lighting Specialist
Janice Becker: janice.becker@ufl.edu
Bay County Turtle Lighting Specialist
Jennifer Sims: jennifersims@ufl.edu
Gulf County Turtle Lighting Specialist
Lindsey Maxwell: lindseymaxwell@ufl.edu
UF/ IFAS Extension and Florida Sea Grant Contacts:
Erik Lovestrand
County Extension Director/Sea Grant Regional Specialized Agent, II
66 4th Street
Apalachicola, FL 32320
(850) 653-9337
elovestrand@ufl.edu
Scott Jackson
Sea Grant Regional Specialized Agent, IV
Bay County Extension
2728 E. 14th Street
Panama City, FL 32401
(850) 784-6105
lsj@ufl.edu
Ray Bodrey
County Extension Director/Sea Grant Agent, II
Gulf County Extension
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E. Lake Ave.