Grant: 09-035E
Project Title: It's in Your Hands: A Lighting Toolkit for Beachfront Properties
Project Manager: Suzi Fox
Organization: Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch (Non-Profit Organization)
Grant Amount: $4170.00
Completion Date:

Summary: During the 2008 sea turtle nesting season there were 39 hatchling disorientations and 5 adult disorientations in Manatee County due to coastal lighting problems. While lighting workshops are offered to beachfront properties each year, they are not always attended by the people who can fix light problems at a specific property. Additionally, in many coastal communities the older properties have lighting fixtures that are not always adaptable to current solutions like poly sleeves or bulb changes. Trying to meet with maintenance staff when the property is dark and problems can be pointed out is difficult since most staff don't live onsite and are not authorized for overtime to work outside business hours. This project will create an interactive CD/DVD for use by coastal property owners/managers to assess their current lighting and provide them with the resources they need to ensure their property is sea turtle friendly and compliant with local lighting ordinances. While working with properties in Manatee County during sea turtle nesting season, we frequently find that the person ultimately responsible for keeping properties compliant is not always the person who attends the FWC lighting workshops. By providing properties with a tool they can access whenever needed, we ensure that all responsible parties receive the correct information and we help eliminate the excuses that are used when violations occur.

Results: