Help sea turtles have nesting success this year

[MyFWC]

While Sea Turtle nesting season doesn't start for about another month (officially May 1st) in South Walton and panhandle beaches, it's never too early to educate yourself!

Nesting season has begun for sea turtles along Florida’s beaches, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is sharing the reminder that both residents and visitors alike can help protect vulnerable nesting and hatchling sea turtles while visiting Florida’s coastal areas.

Sea turtles typically return to nest in March along Florida’s southeast Atlantic coast from Brevard County south to Broward County, while nesting begins on the Gulf Coast or north Florida beaches in April or May. Because our state’s shorelines provide important nesting habitat for several species of threatened and endangered sea turtles, beachgoers can have a significant impact on the success of this year’s nesting season.

To help nesting sea turtles, people can take easy steps to protect them, including giving them space, minimizing disturbances and keeping beaches clean and dark.

Lights out: Any lighting can misdirect and disturb nesting sea turtles and their hatchlings, leading them away from the ocean and toward potential danger. To prevent this, beachgoers should use natural starlight to see while on the beach at night and avoid using flashlights or cellphones. Anyone living along or visiting Florida beaches can do their part by putting porch, parking or deck lights out when not in use and closing curtains after dark to avoid disorienting nesting and hatchling sea turtles on the beach. If lighting is still visible from the beach, be sure it is long, low and shielded.

Admire from afar: While it can be exciting to witness sea turtles on the beach, getting too close (50 feet or less) to nesting sea turtles can cause them to leave the beach before they complete the nesting process. If an animal changes its behavior, you’re likely too close. Remember – it is illegal to harm or disturb nesting sea turtles, their nests and eggs, or to pick up hatchlings.

Clear the way at the end of the day: Female sea turtles expend large amounts of energy crawling out of the surf and far enough up the sand in order to dig and lay nests in spots that are less vulnerable to the tides. Obstacles on the beach can entrap and prevent them from nesting as they crawl across the sand to lay their eggs. Trash, holes in the sand and other obstacles can also prevent sea turtle hatchlings from reaching the water once they emerge from their nests. Food scraps attract predators, such as raccoons and crows, that prey on sea turtle hatchlings. Litter on beaches can entangle sea turtles, birds and other wildlife. What can you do to help? Properly stash or recycle all trash, fill in man-made holes in the sand, and remove all beach toys, gear and furniture from the sand before sunset. Fishing line can be deadly to sea turtles, waterbirds and other wildlife, so be sure to dispose of it properly. To find a monofilament recycling station near you, visit www.mrrp.myfwc.com.

For more information about nesting sea turtles and how you can help, visit www.MyFWC.com/SeaTurtle or see the FWC’s “Be a Beach Hero” brochure. Other ways to help sea turtles include reporting those that are sick, injured, entangled or dead to the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).

 

[MyFWC]

Lighting

Lighting

myfwc.com

Keep it LOW

• Fixtures must be mounted as low as possible and still be appropriate for the needed purpose.
• Bulb must produce the lowest wattage/lumens necessary for the needed purpose.

Keep it LONG

• Lamp/Bulb must produce only long wavelength light (560 nm or greater, which is amber, orange, or red)

Keep it SHIELDED

• Fixture must be completely downward-directed.
• Fixture must be able to shield the bulb, lamp, or glowing lens from the beach.

*A list of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Certified Wildlife Lighting incorporates all of the three rules above.

• Turn off unnecessary lights. Don't use decorative lighting (such as runner lights or uplighting of vegetation) in areas that are visible from the beach. Reposition fixtures and remove or disable fixtures that cannot be modified.
• Shield the light source. When shielding lights, it is important to make sure they are shielded from all areas on the beach, not just from the beach directly in front of the light. Aluminum flashing can be used to fashion shielding or black oven paint may be used as a temporary solution.
• Replace fixtures that scatter light in all directions (such as globe lights or carriage lights) with directional or recessed fixtures that point down and away from the beach.
• Replace incandescent, fluorescent, and high intensity lighting with the lowest wattage amber, orange, or red LED possible to provide adequate light. Replace lights on poles with low-profile, low-level lamps.
• Plant or improve vegetation buffers (such as sea grapes and other native beach vegetation) between the light source and the beach.
• Use motion detector shielded lights and set them on the shortest time setting.
• Apply window tintso interior lights are not visible from the beach.
  • Utilize tint meeting the 45% or less inside to outside transmittance requirements on all glass or non-opaque windows, doors, or railings. Darker tints that restrict interior light visibility from the nesting beach are recommended to reduce adverse impacts to marine turtles, especially on buildings with large amounts of glass. Tints as low as 15% have been used successfully.
• Use window treatments (blinds, curtains) to shield interior lights from the beach and move light fixtures away from windows.

To learn more, check out FWC's Sea Turtle Lighting Guidelines

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Are they needed for safety?​

Lights that are needed for safety or security should not be turned off, as this may cause a safety hazard. Instead, they should be modified so that they meet the Golden Rules. This can be accomplished in several ways including switching the bulb to an amber, orange, or red LED, adding shielding, and/or re-positioning the light to face downward and away from the beach. Motion sensors can also be helpful. If the fixture can’t be sufficiently modified, it can be replaced with a Wildlife Lighting Certified fixture.

Are they balcony lights?​

Shields can be installed over certain balcony lights to restrict the light to the balcony itself and limit illumination and visibility from the adjacent beach – remember that these should have a long-wavelength bulb installed in them. Find Balcony lights that are Wildlife Lighting Certified.

Are they utility pole lights?
Lights on utility poles can be turned off by the power company at your request if they are on your property. If you feel light is still needed for safety, additional shielding can be added to many pole fixtures (i.e. house side shields) that can make the direct light source less visible from the beach.

What about parking lots?​

Pole lights in parking lots can be replaced with full cut off fixtures, angled so the light is aimed away from the beach, covered by shields, and fitted with a long-wavelength light source.

What about pool lights?​

Pool lights can cause cumulative glow onto other surfaces due to the light reflecting off the water. To address this issue, pool lights can be locked on an amber or red color during the marine turtle nesting season. Additionally, you can plant or improve vegetation buffers to block the pool lights and cumulative glow from the beach.

Can you turn them off?​

Decorative lights, such as uplights, string lights, or lights in trees, serve no purpose for human safety. These can be quickly and effectively turned off immediately and should not be turned on until after sea turtle nesting season ends, October 31. Remember, only turn off lights that are NOT needed for safety or security.

What about interior lights?​

White lights inside the building can be visible from the beach and are often much brighter than the exterior lights. Interior lights can quickly turn a turtle friendly building into one that causes disorientations. There are several quick, inexpensive, and effective ways to prevent interior lights from being visible from the beach.

• Close window coverings at night.
• Turn off lights when you leave the room.
• Move lamps away from windows.
• Use fixtures with shades instead of exposed bulbs.
• Use lights on a dimmer switch to reduce the brightness.
• Use low wattage, warm white bulbs.
• Apply window tint so interior lights are not visible from the beach.
  • Utilize tint meeting the 45% or less inside to outside transmittance requirements on all glass or non-opaque windows, doors, or railings. Darker tints that restrict interior light visibility from the nesting beach are recommended to reduce adverse impacts to marine turtles, especially on buildings with large amounts of glass. Tints as low as 15% have been used successfully.

If the information above is followed, your home or building is not expected to adversely impact nesting sea turtles, their hatchlings or their habitat! Thank you for doing your part to protect Florida’s sea turtles!​

*Please email Wildlifelighting@MyFWC.com if you need additional information or help.