Grant: 21-026C
Project Title: Escambia County Sea Turtle Conservation Program Capacity Building to reduce the impact of artificial light on nesting and hatchling sea turtles
Project Manager: Samantha Bolduc
Organization: Escambia County BOCC (Non-Profit Organization)
Grant Amount: $12,000.00
Completion Date: 2023-07-18
Summary: The Escambia County Natural Resources Department will build the Sea Turtle Conservation Program's (STCP) capacity for monitoring and enforcement of the Barrier Island Lighting Ordinance (current and proposed). The project seeks to identify, quantify, and reduce non-compliant lights on Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key through lighting surveys, quantitative analysis of the nesting beach and a cost-share retrofit program. Project outcomes include a comprehensive survey of artificial lighting conditions along nesting beaches on Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key, in addition to 14 homes retrofitted through wildlife-friendly lighting through a cost-share program. Tasks include two systematic nighttime lighting surveys each for Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key, to document non-compliant light sources, locations, and relative impact of artificial lighting on nesting beach and a cost-share lighting retrofit program. Data collected will be used to create a database of problematic lights and property owners and provide a quantitative assessment of lighting conditions on nesting beaches to allow for comparison after retrofit projects and other modifications. 
Results: Staff conducted 3 lighting surveys over the course of the project period ; July 2021, September 2022 and May 2023. Given limitations with lighting equipment (light meter, spectrometer and SQM) beach conditions were not assessed during surveys, but documented as part of the cost-share retrofit data collection, detailed below. Survey data in its entirety is included in Attachment A. Survey results on Pensacola Beach were generally positive, with fewer problematic lights documented during survey period that previous years; however, the variability in vacation/rental home occupancy remains a key factor in survey results. Perdido Key results were more varied, given the lack of lighting ordinance and higher number of mid- and high rise condominiums, compared to the primarily single-family neighborhoods of Pensacola Beach. In an effort to reduce the amount of time needed to transcribe and analyze survey results, staff has moved to ESRI's Survey123 for survey collection; which allows for real-time mapping and documenting of problematic lights. The standardized data collection oms eliminate data variability and eliminate the need for detailed data collection procedures to ensure standardized results.
Nine properties were retrofitted through the costshare program, all on Pensacola Beach. Participation in the cost-share program was significantly lower than expected, however lingering impacts from the loss of rental revenue from 2020's Covid 19 pandemic and Hurricane Sally, and the volatility of the real estate market are expected to be contributing factors. Throughout the grant period, staff conducted targeted and general outreach about the impacts of artificial light. "Lights Out" is a core campaign of the Sea Turtle Ambassador program, which dedicated outreach at community events, including the Sea Turtle Baby Shower and bi-weekly Bands on the Beach concert series. Several community organizations donated funds for the purchase of turtle friendly red flashlights, which volunteers and partners hand out when conducting routine nighttime monitoring activities in the summer season as an alternative to cellphone and other white flashlights. Grant funds were approved for use to develop and print "Lights Out" stickers and magnets for use in outreach efforts. Staff also developed a Barrier Island Lighting FAQ for owners looking to retrofit their properties.