Sea Turtle Protection Program
The Florida beaches on the Gulf of Mexico are host each year to a wondrous and miraculous event - the nesting of a large variety of the endangered sea turtles - among them Loggerhead and Leatherbacks. These huge amphibians return each year to the same stretches of Gulf sand that gave them birth to continue the procreation of their species.
Unfortunately,
when the baby turtles hatch their successful and safe return to the sea is
dependent on a nocturnal path lighted only by Nature's moon and stars. As areas
of the coast, such as St. George Island and Alligator point, continue to be
developed, man's lighting systems have disoriented the newly hatched sea
turtles, causing many to go in the opposite direction and fall prey to predators
or automobiles and other hazards.
In cooperation and sponsorship of both the Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation and the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service, has undertaken an extensive program to replace the distracting human lighting with turtle-"friendly" subdued lighting at no charge to the homeowner. The requirement for such substituted lighting has now been institutionalized in a Franklin County ordnance, and the documented instances of disorientation have greatly reduced.