At this date, 8-25-11, there have been 57 sea turtle nests hatch, but of the 57 nests, 27 nests have disoriented to lights. Hatchling turtles have been found in lighted swimming pools, under unshielded light fixtures, under houses, and wandering on the beach in front of commercial businesses. In some instances, coyotes have found the hatchlings wandering on the beach, away from the water, and have eaten them.
There was a higher than usual number of turtle nests laid earlier than usual this season, causing more nests to hatch during the height of the tourist season, when the lights are on. There are also more nests in locations where unshielded lights are visible.
While it would be hard to prove that there are more unshielded lights than in past years, it would follow that without code enforcement, homeowners would use any light fixture that suits them, shielded or not. Cheap, unshielded light fixtures and floodlights seem to be the norm on most houses. And because the use of yellow bug light bulbs was allowed as a temporary measure until a shielded light fixture was installed, everyone has adopted them as a permanent fix. Yellow bug light bulbs neither prevent hatchling disorientation nor are they the frequency of light least seen by wildlife.http://www.oysterradio.com e-mail manager@oysterradio.com with comments
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