What is Turtle Friendly Lighting?

In an era dominated by artificially brightened nights, it's crucial to explore how light pollution disrupts the natural rhythms of wildlife. One such affected species is sea turtles, who face significant challenges due to artificial lights. This article will delve into the concept of turtle friendly lighting, a sustainable solution that minimizes the adverse impact of artificial lights on sea turtles.

The Conflict: Wildlife and Artificial Lights

Artificial light at night (ALAN) can disrupt the everyday life of numerous creatures, from owls and bees to turtles and butterflies. The issues arise when:

1. ALAN introduces light into areas or during periods when it doesn't naturally exist.
2. ALAN introduces light with a different spectral distribution than sunlight, moonlight, or starlight, affecting animal behavior and physiology.

These impacts, both direct and indirect, can disrupt foraging patterns, make animals prone to predation, or even repel them from their habitats, leading to population decline. Moreover, ALAN can interfere with the biological clocks of many species, disturbing their sleep, feeding, and reproduction patterns.

The Effect of Artificial Light on Turtles

Sea turtles, in particular, are significantly affected by artificial light. Hatchlings instinctively move towards the brightest light source, a trait that should lead them to the safety of the ocean. However, artificial lighting can confuse their instincts, leading them towards danger instead.

For instance, turtles use the moon's position as they come ashore to lay their eggs and instinctively avoid well-lit beaches. Artificial light from streets, parking lots, and buildings can overpower the moonlight, causing turtles to either avoid laying eggs or nest under the glare of ALAN—both scenarios posing threats to the hatchlings.

Artificial light can also lead hatchlings inland instead of towards the ocean, often resulting in their death before reaching the water. This disorientation poses significant risks to the survival of various endangered sea turtle species, including the green, loggerhead, and Kemp's ridley sea turtles.

Introducing Turtle Friendly Lighting

To mitigate the adverse effects of ALAN, various organizations and companies have proposed the concept of turtle friendly lighting. This lighting technology, often utilizing amber LED lights, is less visible to turtles, reducing the risk of disorientation and disruption in their nesting habits.

The Power of Amber LEDs

Amber LED lights are considered turtle friendly because research has shown that sea turtles are less affected by light within specific wavelengths. Long-wavelength lighting such as Amber LEDs is less disruptive than white light, which contains higher blue content and can confuse hatchlings that rely on moonlight for guidance.

The Role of Lighting Companies

Prominent brands like Cree Lighting and Acuity Brands have developed a range of outdoor products following the guidelines for turtle friendly lighting. These products use true monochromatic amber LEDs to produce light wavelengths less visible to turtles and other wildlife.

At Acuity Brands, both phosphor-converted amber and true amber LED lights have been developed. While the former is more efficient, the latter meets the strictest legislative requirements in certain municipalities.

Implementing Turtle Friendly Lighting

Ensuring your property is equipped with turtle friendly lighting is not just about external lights. Interior lights, due to their brightness, can also be visible from the beach and cause disorientation in turtles. Here are some measures that can be taken to make your lighting more turtle-friendly:

• Use low-wattage, warm white bulbs or amber, orange, or red LEDs.
• Add shielding to lights or re-position them to face downward and away from the beach.
• Use motion sensors for security lights.
• For balcony and utility pole lights, install shields to restrict light visibility from the beach.
• For parking lots, replace pole lights with full cut-off fixtures, angled away from the beach.
• For pool lights, lock them on an amber or red color during the turtle nesting season.
• Decorative lights, serving no purpose for human safety, should be turned off until the end of the turtle nesting season.
• Close window coverings at night, turn off lights when leaving the room, and use fixtures with shades instead of exposed bulbs.

Finding and Purchasing Turtle Friendly Lighting

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) certifies fixtures and bulbs as wildlife-friendly, and these certified products can be found on the FWC's Certified Wildlife Lighting Website.

Other products that meet the criteria for wildlife friendly lighting include those that are low to the ground, shielded, and use long-wavelength light at 560 nanometers or longer.