Grant: 19-014E
Project Title: Upgrading Sea Turtle Lighting Education Program
Project Manager: Rachel Tighe
Organization: Sea Turtle Conservancy (Non-Profit Organization)
Grant Amount: $18,930.00
Completion Date: 2020-12-22

Summary: Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) will refurbish and update the traveling lighting displays funded by the grants program in 2014. Since their creation, the displays have successfully been hosted at facilities throughout the state of Florida and have been viewed by hundreds of thousands of people. The four portable displays have received considerable wear since they were first created and deployed. STC will work with the original graphics company to reprint the panel graphics; add a protective coating on each panel to prevent scratching; and repair and update damaged and outdated fixtures. Once the displays are repaired, STC will re-deploy them in high-traffic locations in southwest Florida, where STC will expand its separately-funded sea turtle lighting retrofit program. STC will also work with a video production company to create a short instructive video to further educate beachfront property owners about the importance of sea turtle lighting and how to be part of the solution. This video will be broadcast to targeted audiences in SW Florida through boosted social media postings.

Results: Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) achieved its goal of updating its educational lighting materials and distributing them to thousands of online and in-person viewers. Wilderness Graphics updated and provided a protective seal to the panel graphics and installed new turtle-friendly fixtures on all four of STC’s traveling lighting displays. STC deployed three of the four displays to high-traffic facilities across Florida, where they have already been seen by more than 20,000 people. Two-Head Video completed the sea turtle lighting video that plays on each display’s monitor in early 2020, and STC shared the video with its followers through three boosted posts on Facebook. Through these two initiatives, beachfront property owners and visitors now have the most updated information regarding sea turtle lighting and how they can protect Florida’s important sea turtle populations.