Turtle Safe Amber Lights : Wildlife Friendly Lighting Program

Turtle Safe Amber Lighting - Reflector, Downlight, Bollards, Retrofit
Turtle Safe Amber Lighting - Reflector, Downlight, Bollards, Retrofit

Description

Liton's Wildlife Friendly Lighting Program features turtle safe amber lighting. Red or amber light is used to help protect wildlife like sea turtles.


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Benefits

Environmentally conscious lighting design is the only way to reduce light pollution and its impact on marine sea turtles. Whether it's dimly lighted streets and pathways or using low, shielded, and long lights, effective lighting design ensures your lights meet all the safety requirements while protecting sea turtles and hatchlings from light pollution.

Legal Benefits

Wildlife-friendly lighting can help residential homeowners and commercial entities achieve compliance with local lighting ordinances.

Ecological Benefits

Sea-turtle-friendly lights increase the chance of sea turtles surviving. Since sea turtles are nocturnal, they are mainly active during the night. However, they are very sensitive to light at 580 nm or less. Generally, sea turtles thrive in dark environments, especially mature ones. So, at night, female sea turtles swim to the shores and nest in dark areas. They then go back into the sea after nesting. When you use artificial light that is extremely bright and has a short wavelength, adult sea turtles alter their normal behavior. They will be disadvantaged and unsure where they should nest along the shore. Therefore, their nest density is reduced, consequently reducing their population. Bright artificial lighting exhausts sea turtles; in other cases, some turtles die as light can significantly increase hatchling mortality. Due to artificial light interference, the hatchlings can lose their way back into the sea and dehydrate, leading to death. So, using sea turtle-friendly lighting retains the turtles' normal behavior, supporting nesting, and increasing their chance of survival.

Energy Saving Benefits

Using sea turtle-friendly lighting can also help you cut down on your electricity bills. Since the light is lower wattage, they use less quantity than other types of lighting. Thus, reducing your electricity bill. Although you might pay a high cost for installing a retrofit, over years of use, the cost will balance, and you get to save more.

 

The Importance of Wildlife / Turtle Friendly Lighting

If you have visited the coastal area, you may have noticed the amber lighting is different from the usual white light in other areas. The red or amber light is strategically used to help protect wildlife like sea turtles from lighting trespass.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), up to 80 percent of sea turtle hatchlings die every year because of light pollution around the beaches. In 1972, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) established The Endangered Species Act (ESA), which was passed into law. The ESA addresses the protection of just not Sea Turtles, but other Coastal Wild Life as well.

 

Is Wildlife Friendly Lighting Effective?

FWC’s Dean Gallagher notes that the implementation of turtle safe outdoor lighting is making a significant difference in the sea turtle population. For instance, in Volusia County, the nests along a 22-mile stretch of the beach had increased from only 54 in 1985 to more than 400 in 2004 following the adoption of strict lighting regulations in new and existing infrastructure. 

Besides the regulations, FWS and FWC raise awareness by offering a marine lighting course to homeowners and manufacturers. The course emphasizes the impact of artificial lighting on ocean wildlife while highlighting the best solutions for preserving these sea animals’ populations.

 

Liton Amber Lighting

Liton Lighting Wildlife Friendly Lighting Program

LITON is proud to offer specially equipped versions of our 6” LED Round & Square 1-Direction Wall Mounts, 4"-8"Commercial, 4"-8" Retrofit and our 6” LED Amber Reflector Downlights that are certified and recommended by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for use in areas that are adjacent to ecologically sensitive wildlife zones. Our certified fixtures feature Amber LED drivers which produce a precise spectral output of 590nm, a wavelength of light that is visible to humans, but invisible to the protected species.

 

Turtle Safe Requirements

When it comes to sea turtle-friendly lighting, there are three basic golden rules. The guidelines are intended for property owners near or adjacent to nesting beaches for sea turtles to reduce the effect of artificial lighting. Here is a breakdown of these rules: It’s important to follow wildlife lighting guidelines and local lighting ordinance requirements. Check with your local municipality to find out if there are any enforced lighting ordinances. These ordinances can include best practices for managing the impact of artificial light on susceptible wildlife. However, not all coastal governments have adopted lighting ordinances. In this case, there are several practices that oceanfront property owners, hotels, and resort projects can use to eliminate light pollution.

 

1. Keep the lighting low
The most visible lights are those mounted high on buildings and poles. These lights can disorient sea turtles and disrupt the behavior of other wildlife species. The lower the fixture, the less likely it is to be seen from the beach and also reduces the amount of glare. Doing so also makes for more aesthetically pleasing, functional, and cost-efficient lighting.

 

2. Keep the lighting shielded
Some lights, such as carriage lights, disperse light in every direction. Shielding is an effective way to direct light to a specific area and minimize the spread of light. It reduces the amount of light directed onto the beach while still providing sufficient lighting for people. There are two main ways to shield light. The first one is to use capped light fixtures that prevent light from escaping upward. Additionally, full cutoff light fixtures direct light downward and prevent the spread of light outwards. As such, there’s less risk for sea turtles to get trapped, repelled, or have their day/night cycles altered.

 

3. Keep the lighting long
The type of bulb you use also makes a big difference in light pollution. Short-wavelength light scatters more easily into the atmosphere, causing significant disruption to wildlife. Contrarily, sea turtles are less disturbed by long wavelengths of light, such as yellow, amber, and red. These lights appear dimmer to sea turtles and nocturnal wildlife, reducing disruptions to their behavioral patterns.

 

Turtle Safe Lighting Articles

Wildlife Lighting Guidelines - The 3 Golden Rules to Minimize Impact on Sea Turtles

Wildlife Lighting Guidelines - The 3 Golden Rules to Minimize Impact on Sea Turtles
Most people express concern over the security around the beach area if the area isn't lit. However, beaches don't need as much crime prevention since very little valuable property is stored on the beaches. Fortunately, you can install turtle-friendly lighting in areas near the nesting beaches where there are residential properties, offices, and other activities. Follow the three golden rules and the above lighting requirements to light lights that protect the turtles and promote safety. Read More >>

 

Best Practices for Artificial Lighting by the Sea

Best Practices for Artificial Lighting by the Sea
Environmentally conscious lighting design is the only way to reduce light pollution and its impact on marine sea turtles. Whether it's dimly lighted streets and pathways or using low, shielded, and long lights, effective lighting design ensures your lights meet all the safety requirements while protecting sea turtles and hatchlings from light pollution. Read More >>

 

Turtle Friendly Does Not Have To Be Your Architects Enemy - 5 Ways for Architecturally Pleasing Turtle Friendly Lighting

Turtle Friendly Does Not Have To Be Your Architects Enemy - 5 Ways for Architecturally Pleasing Turtle Friendly Lighting
FWC has set wildlife lighting guidelines that different communities can adopt and implement to preserve the wildlife populations on their coastlines. The world-renowned ordinances outline the light technologies and practices that property owners should consider. The FWC and FWS have teamed up to develop the Wildlife Lighting Certification Program that provides information on fixtures that have already been vetted to be Wildlife Friendly Compliant including appropriate applications. Liton is proud to be included in the Wildlife Lighting Certification Program. For a light fixture to qualify as wildlife friendly, it must meet the following criteria... Read More >>

 

Turtle Safe Lighting Videos

New Lights Installed Along Florida’s Coastline To Protect Baby Sea Turtles | NBC Nightly News

Saving Sea Turtles with Wildlife Friendly Lighting | Sea Turtle Conservancy

 

 

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Available Features ?

Available Features

Based on the option chosen these features will be available. Please check the webpage and specification sheet to ensure the particular feature applies to your product.

  • Outdoor
  • Dedicated LED
  • Downlight
  • Turtle Safe
Liton Lighting was founded in 1996 on the principles of remarkable design and reliable craftsmanship. Since its inception, Liton Lighting has been a leader in Specification Grade, Commercial and Residential recessed, and track lighting. With an array of luminaires offered in various sizes, power sources and designer finishes, Liton Lighting offers its customers a reliable source of indoor and outdoor lighting solutions.

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