Coastal Lighting Survey in SE Florida was launched October 30th with the following objective: Convince the Mayors of each of the nine cities in Broward County to reduce beachfront lighting impact on sea turtles.
The Lighting Survey just concluded by SeaTurtleOversightProtection.org (STOP) quantifies direct and indirect lighting produced by each municipality. Because the indirect sky glow lighting is somewhat untouchable, each leader will have to be sold on the idea as to how they can effect change.
Each city will be expected to improve beachfront lighting conditions in order to escape scrutiny by tourists who have a right to experience sea turtle nesting and watch hatchlings rise out of the sand and head to the ocean—instead of the nearest light.
While each municipality will stand on its own, they will also be competing with one another to rise on the turtle nesting popularity ladder. A decrease or no change could be interpreted as a city that does not care about an endangered species and tourists may change their destination venue as a result.
Since correct turtle friendly lighting need only be installed once, will reduce electric consumption, will outlast conventional fixtures and will then meet local and state lighting requirements, there is little reason to object.
While the actual light reading is just a number, each mayor must be convinced it was scientifically developed and can be repeated with accuracy four times each sea turtle season without warning. Our surveyor used the SQM-L straight up and aimed at the offending light source.
Each mayor need do nothing more than “appoint” Code Enforcement or an appropriate commissioner or a staff person to look into the matter and perform simple tasks such as suggesting to the Maintenance Department to point certain lights down or change the bulb. Areas closest to the meter reading are easiest and most simple. But once hooked, each leader must feel obligated to continue.
A presentation with slides, sound, interactivity and links for more information has yet to be designed. Mayors would be able to mouse over their city to learn the meter reader location and results. Photographs of the site will pop up on demand. The offending lights will be easily hyperlinked.
Short clips of giant nesting sea turtles, baby hatchlings crushed in the roadway trying to reach a light source, tourists gasping in amazement should be a riveting experience to remember. Mayors already know their beachfront is the number one attraction—their job must be to preserve it and fill hotel rooms to survive.
Each mayor can see their rating and how it compares to their favorite mayor counterpart perhaps in the city next door—or at the other end of the county with a mouse click over an aerial map. Another slide will show how easy the fix is to accomplish. Links to light vendors and free help will occupy the SOURCE page.
John
