Don’t Light the Way for Florida Turtles
(Posted June 30, 2011 06:20 am)
By Les Coleman
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - Some very simple things Florida residents can do will help sea turtles survive and thrive. The Sea Turtle Conservancy and Defenders of Wildlife say a great start is to install turtle-friendly lighting in developments along the coast.
Gary Appelson is the policy coordinator for the
Conservancy. He says a few simple lighting changes would
make a big difference for sea turtles.
"One change is to use amber-colored lighting. Also, you
lower and direct the lighting so it's not shining on the
beach, and you shield the lighting."
Those measures would make it less likely that the
turtles will get confused and head for the lights rather
than the ocean after laying their eggs, he explains.
Keeping trash secured is another way to help the
turtles, he adds, because predators that eat eggs will
not be attracted to the beach by garbage.
Appelson also points out a side benefit of installing
turtle-friendly lighting, which in many cases
incorporates LED technology.
"Very surprising and significant energy efficiency and
cost-savings occur by retrofitting with
sea-turtle-friendly lighting."
Elizabeth Flemming, the Defenders of Wildlife Florida
representative, says people can take other easy steps
beyond lighting to help the sea turtles, as well.
"Keeping the beaches free of trash is one of the best
ways to ensure that we're not attracting even more
predators onto the beach."
Animals like foxes and raccoons are attracted to trash
and love a meal of turtle eggs, she says.