Announcements
February 19, 2010
Dear Property Owner, Manager or Representative,
Artificial lighting can deter female turtles from coming ashore to lay their eggs and can cause emerging hatchlings to become disoriented and crawl away from the ocean. Prolonged misdirected crawling can result in the death of hatchling sea turtles due to dehydration, predation, or roadside traffic.
Beach lighting compliance is an important factor in the conservation of sea turtles. It can be accomplished in many inexpensive ways without sacrificing the safety or security of beachfront residents. A list of suggested methods for reducing lighting impacts is attached.
Nighttime inspections will be conducted throughout the summer to ensure that no artificial lighting is illuminating the beach. Property owners will be notified of lighting violations and failure to comply with lighting regulations will necessitate a hearing before the Town of Hillsboro Beach Code Enforcement Board.
You can help keep Broward County beaches a safe haven for sea turtles by conducting your own lighting inspections. If, on a dark night, you can see your shadow on the beach, the light is too bright.
Sincerely,
Chief
Thank you for your cooperation. If you have any questions regarding applicable lighting regulations for the Town of Hillsboro Beach’s sea turtle conservation program, or if you would like technical assistance in addressing lighting modifications for your residence, please contact:
Hillsboro Beach Police Department
1210 Hillsboro Mile, Hillsboro Beach, FL 33062
Phone: 954-427-6600
Officer Nolan
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List of Site Modifications To Reduce Lighting Impacts
1. Eliminate or turn off all unnecessary lights such as landscape lighting.
2. Reduce the wattage of necessary lights.
3. Replace white lights with yellow bug lights.
4. Redirect fixtures away from beach.
5. Replace general broadcast fixtures with directional fixtures.
6. Reposition lights behind existing barriers to shield them from beach view.
7. Recess lighting into eaves of roof.
8. Lower the height of pole-mounted fixtures so that lighting does not reach the beach.
9. Install timers to switch lights off when they are not needed.
10. Install motion detector on bright security lights and redirect away from beach area.
11. Plant native vegetation to provide a buffer between the beach and light source.
Interior Lighting
Coastal residents within direct line-of-sight of the beach are encouraged to manage interior lighting so that it does not create problems for sea turtles. Because of the large number of units along the beach, the cumulative impacts from interior lighting can be as problematic as bright exterior lights. Several options used independently or in combination can help considerably in reducing the amount of light reaching the beach.
1. Turn off lights in rooms that are not in use.
2. Move lamps and other moveable fixtures away from windows that are visible from the beach.
3. Apply window tinting to substantially reduce the amount of interior lighting reaching the beach.
4. Apply opaque window treatments (curtains, shades, etc.) to Oceanside windows and make sure that they are drawn each night throughout the nesting season.
These simple and inexpensive solutions will contribute greatly to making The Town of Hillsboro Beach a safe haven for nesting and hatchling sea turtles.
Thomas Nagy