Sea Turtle-friendly
Lighting on Private Lands
Implementing effective lighting ordinances or plans on
major nesting beaches is a high priority for the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Lighted beachfronts attract
adult females to nest too high on the beach. Hatchling turtles
are then attracted to unfriendly lighting and may become
too disoriented to reach the sea. The ultimate result is
death from desiccation, predation, being run over by cars
or being trapped in swimming pools, drainage ditches and
storm water drains.
Since 1998, three counties (Franklin, Gulf, Bay) and two
municipalities (City of Mexico Beach and City of Destin)
on the northwest coast of Florida have implemented lighting
ordinances. Most counties are reluctant to pass ordinances
because of inadequate funding, and property owners are hesitant
to convert to sea turtle-friendly lighting because of the
costs of the fixtures.
To reduce this problem, the Panama City Field Office (PCFO)
is working with local turtle watch groups and non-profit
organizations to implement sea turtle-compatible lighting
in all coastal counties of the Florida panhandle. Local
groups/agencies distribute funds to property owners to cover
the costs of the lighting fixtures and installation. In
return, landowners sign a cooperative agreement that stipulates
the lighting fixture types and locations and the responsibility
of the property owners to maintain the fixtures.
Four threatened or endangered species of turtles will benefit
from this program:
- Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)
- Green turtle (Chelonia mydas)
- Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
- Kemp's Ridley turtle (Lapidochelys kempli)
Use of sea turtle-friendly lighting has been shown to significantly
improve beaches for sea turtle nesting. This project is expected
to result in attracting higher numbers of adult turtles to
nest in the project areas and to increase the number of hatchlings
reaching the sea without the need of human intervention. Project
success monitoring is a cooperative effort between the USFWS,
sea turtle nest monitoring groups and other concerned organizations,
including:
- Gulf Coast Conservation Association
- St. Andrew Bay Resource Management Association
- Gulf and east Bay County Turtle Watch
- South Walton Turtle Watch
- Cap San Blas Taxpayers Association
- Apalachicola Bay and River Riverkeepers (ABARK)
- Santa Rosa Island Authority
- Escambia County Marine Extension Program (includes Santa
Rosa County)
We are also working with local retailers to provide sea
turtle friendly lighting fixtures. Please check out our
Guide to Sea Turtle Lighting. The Guide provides ordinances,
many different types of fixtures for all applications, lighting
retailers, and education materials.
For more information,
call Lorna Patrick at (850) 769-0552, extension 229.
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