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DNR and local conservation groups back targeted beachfront lighting rules to protect sea turtles
Summary
A Department of Natural Resources biologist and the St. Simons Sea Turtle Project outlined a seasonal beachfront lighting ordinance — shielding, directionality limits, and wavelength restrictions (no wavelengths below 560 nm) — and offered volunteer and educational support; residents raised implementation and safety questions.
Mark Dodd, a wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, told the town hall the proposed beachfront lighting changes are built on decades of coastal research and aim to reduce hatchling disorientation without eliminating needed safety lighting.
"If you have a lot of artificial light on the beach, hatchlings emerge and head the wrong way and become disoriented," Dodd said during a technical presentation that used photos and spectrographic examples. He described three focal points for modern lighting ordinances: limiting the total amount of light spilling onto nesting beaches, controlling light directionality…
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