Be A Good Neighbor to Sea Turtles on Sanibel:
2020 Nesting Season Guidelines Issued
Even as Sanibel's residents and visitors remain "safer at home", sea turtle nesting season is underway on Sanibel's beaches! These ancient reptiles nest from April 15-October 31 each year. In partnership with the City, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) monitors Sanibel's beaches for nesting sea turtles and shorebirds. Although the most common species nesting on Sanibel is the state-threatened loggerhead sea turtle, SCCF has reported that one of this year's first nesters was an endangered leatherback sea turtle. This rare open ocean turtle can grow to be a whopping 6-feet long, the largest of all sea turtles!
Unfortunately, sea turtles face many disturbances that interfere with their nesting activities. Sea turtle hatchlings emerge after dark, using the light of the night sky over the sea to navigate to the water. Artificial lights cause hatchlings to crawl away from the water toward the wrong light source. Each year, thousands of hatchlings die in Florida due to manmade lighting along beaches. While sea turtle hatchlings are particularly vulnerable to disorientation due to artificial light sources, nesting female turtles may also be disturbed by bright lights, loud noises, and people approaching too close. These disturbances may cause a female turtle to become disoriented leading to a "false crawl", where the female fails to lay her eggs and returns back to the Gulf.
With more of us spending extra time at home, it is especially important that we all do our part to protect sea turtles by keeping lights off after dark, shielding seaward light structures, and ensuring that all exterior beachfront lighting is compliant with the City's beachfront lighting regulations. After 9, it's turtle time; please help keep our beaches dark all summer long.
To prevent sea turtle lighting disturbances:
Turn off/shield ALL lights visible from the beach. Replace light sources visible from the beach with a low wattage, yellow or amber LED bulb. When purchasing a new bulb, look for the "wildlife friendly lighting" logo approved by FWC.
Close curtains or blinds BY 9 PM.
Avoid using flashlights/illuminated cell phones. If necessary, use amber or red-light bulbs/shields.
Never shine a light on nesting turtles or shorebirds.
No flash photography after dark.
As a reminder, the City's beachfront lighting standards are enforced year-round. Due to the COVID19 pandemic, essential lighting compliance inspections and follow-up with property owners will be done in accordance with Federal and State social distancing guidelines. Gulf-front property owners should make sure that their properties are compliant with the City's sea turtle protection ordinances to ensure that artificial lighting from their property does not illuminate the beach (Sanibel Code Section 74-181-74-183, Section 126-996-126-1002). An easy way to test if your property complies is to stand on the beach on a moonless night and look seaward. If you can see your shadow cast towards the water, there is too much light behind you. This light can deter female turtles from nesting and disorients hatchlings as they emerge from the nest, causing dehydration and death.
We ask for your continued compliance with City's sea turtle protection ordinances and hope to uphold Sanibel's reputation as one of the darkest and most "turtle-friendly" beaches in Florida.
For questions regarding the City's beachfront lighting regulations, email Conservation Officer Veronica Runge at Veronica.Runge@mysanibel.com.
Report sick, injured, entangled, or dead sea turtles to the SCCF Sea Turtle Hotline: 978-SAVE-ONE (978-728-3663).
Sea turtles are protected under the Endangered Species Act. It is illegal to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect a sea turtle. Violations of wildlife ordinances may be subject to City, State, and Federal penalties and should be reported immediately to the Sanibel Police Department at (239) 472-3111.
MORE WAYS TO SHARE THE SHORE WITH WILDLIFE ON SANIBEL
Give wildlife space. Stay out of posted wildlife areas and avoid disturbing sea turtles, nests, or hatchlings.
Keep pets on a leash and away from posted nesting areas. Unleashed dogs may cause harm to vulnerable sea turtle hatchlings and nesting shorebirds. All dogs on the beach must be on a leash no longer than 8-feet in length.
Secure trash that may injure or entrap wildlife.
Remove all beach furniture and equipment from the beach BY 9 PM to avoid sea turtle nesting obstacles or wildlife entrapments.
Fill holes/level sandcastles after your beach day. Sea turtle hatchlings and flightless chicks may fall into holes and become trapped.
Do not feed wildlife. Food scraps attract predators such as crows and gulls to the area, which prey on sea turtle eggs and their hatchlings. Never feed wild sea turtles.
Wear polarized glasses, follow slow speed zone, and designate a wildlife lookout when boating to spot a sea turtle, manatee, or dolphin on the surface of the water coming up for air. Be sure to give turtles and marine mammals 50 yards of space.
Teach visitors, neighbors, and children these conservation tips!