lessphp fatal error: load error: failed to find /home4/undersea/public_html/blog/wp-content/themes/Underseas/style.less{"id":639,"date":"2016-09-01T08:35:39","date_gmt":"2016-09-01T13:35:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/underseas.com\/blog\/?p=639"},"modified":"2016-09-01T08:35:39","modified_gmt":"2016-09-01T13:35:39","slug":"coastal-floridians-keep-lights-off-may-october","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.underseas.com\/blog\/coastal-floridians-keep-lights-off-may-october\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Coastal Floridians Keep Their Lights Off May – October"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SeaTurtle_Nesting\"<\/a>If you were lucky enough to get away over the\u00a0summer to the Sunshine State for some R & R, you may have noticed that the beach goes extra dark at night. \u00a0Many hotels even leave a little note in each guest room asking you to make sure to close your blinds if your lights are on after sunset. So what's up with the black-out? Well, every May 15th through\u00a0October 31st is Sea Turtle nesting season.<\/p>\n

\"That's pretty cool, but so what?\" You may ask. \u00a0\"Why do we have to keep our lights off during turtle nesting season.\" \u00a0It's a good question with a pretty simple answer: To prevent the newly hatched baby sea turtles from getting\u00a0disoriented on their way back out to the ocean.<\/p>\n

Baby sea turtles have enough things to worry about once their cute little heads pop out of the\u00a0sand for the first time. \u00a0Before the little turtles make it to the water's edge, they have to first worry about crossing the open sand, exposing them to a number of predators that love to eat them, such as birds, crabs, raccoons, and even ants. \u00a0Also, if they don't make it to the water quickly enough, they could suffer from dehydration. \u00a0The last thing they need to worry about is being disoriented and going the wrong direction.<\/p>\n

According to Gumbo Limbo Nature Center<\/a>, in Boca Raton, FL, \"every year, thousands of hatchlings are killed when they become disoriented by lights visible from the beach. Scientists believe that the baby sea turtles instinctively travel towards the brightest horizon, as the dark, tree covered dunes are starkly contrasted with the reflective glow of the ocean. In fact, the hatchlings are so strongly attracted to light that they have been known to walk straight into bonfires left burning on the beach, undeterred by the heat of the flames.\"<\/p>\n

What you can do to help baby sea turtles\u00a0survive their trek to the ocean:<\/h1>\n

1. Turn off the lights!\"Turtle-layout-R4_Page_3-632x640_large\"<\/a><\/h2>\n

If you are visiting Florida (or live there) between May and October, once the sun goes down turn off all outdoor lights and indoor lights in rooms that face the beach. \u00a0If you need the lights on inside, make sure you have \"black-out curtains\" and shut them to keep the light from shining out. \u00a0If you must have an outdoor light on, replace the bulb with a\u00a0yellow incandescent light bulb.<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0Spread the word!<\/h2>\n

Not everyone knows about the effect their lights have on turtle nesting. \u00a0Tell everyone you know about it so they are sure to follow these same rules.<\/p>\n

3. \u00a0Don't touch!<\/h2>\n

If you are lucky enough to witness a nest of sea turtles\u00a0hatching please observe from a distance. \u00a0They have been fighting their way to the ocean for centuries and don't need your help. \u00a0It takes time, so be patient and just enjoy being present for such an amazing act of nature.<\/p>\n