I used to live on a barrier island off the coast of South Carolina. And each May, the locals worked hard to teach tourists the importance of leaving lights off during loggerhead sea turtle nesting season. The “Keep Lights Out for Loggerheads” campaign would get so embedded in my mind that, like a catchy song on the radio, I sometimes found myself mumbling “Lights Out for Loggerheads” under my breath.
What the islanders know that many tourists don’t realize is that artificial light can throw off loggerheads when they come ashore to deposit their eggs. Artificial light can also throw off loggerhead hatchlings because it can steer them away from the ocean.
So when I found out the City of Bradenton Beach, Florida was installing LED street lights approved by the Florida Wildlife Commission as turtle-friendly, my heart sang a little. Located on Anna Maria Island along the Gulf of Mexico, the City of Bradenton Beach recently replaced 100-Watt high pressure sodium street lights with decorative 17-Watt LED fixtures along Gulf Drive, the city’s main thoroughfare.
The city’s new LED street lights by Beacon Products use amber LEDs, which are visible to us humans, but are nearly undetectable to sea turtles and other marine wildlife, according to Beacon. Combine that with special optics and a full-cutoff luminaire, and you have turtle-friendly and dark sky-friendly lighting.
It’s still important for coastal residents and tourists to be mindful of their light usage during sea turtle nesting season. But we’re excited that LED lighting innovations are making it easier.
