Jekyll Island is Seeing Red
Dr. Norton, Education, Events, How YOU can Help!, Nesting Program, Research, Sea Turtle, Uncategorized, exhibits, lighting, turtles 1 Comment »With the a new beach lighting ordinance soon to be in effect (amended in August 2008, grace period ends May 1, 2010), many Jekyll Islands residents and beachfront business owners came out for the 2010 “Sea Turtles and Lights” workshop held at the Jekyll Island Convention Center on March 17, 2010. Many approved turtle-friendly lighting distributors were in attendance to display their approved products and spread the word about wildlife-friendly lighting.
After Eric Garvey, Senior Director of Marketing, welcomed the participants, Dr. Terry Norton, GSTC Director and Veterinarian, kicked off the workshop with a presentation about the Georgia Sea Turtle Center; what it is, what we are all about, and what we’ve accomplished in 3 very short years. Next Mark Dodd, GADNR Sea Turtle Program Coordinator, brought us up to speed on sea turtle natural history and the research conducted on the Sidney Lanier Bridge’s turtle-friendly lighting. To wrap up the program, GSTC Marine Field Programs Coordinator, Stefanie Ouellette, gave a educational presentation on understanding lights,how lights effect sea turtles and answered the question: What is a turtle-friendly light?
After the presentations wrapped up and all questions were answered, manufacturers/vendors from Wildlife Lighting LLC, Electro Elf, Acclaim Lighting, The Coppersmith, and Justice Design Group displayed their state-of-the-art, approved turtle-friendly products in eye-catching exhibits for the participants.
A few other manufacturers/vendors (Turtle Safe Lighting, Starry Night Lights, the Lighting Science Group and Eco Smart) were unable to attend in person, but they did send us some sample products prior to the workshop to display.
You can find LINKS to these companies on our website, as well as many other links that might be helpful or interesting to you! You can also visit our BEACH LIGHTING page on our website to learn and understand more about sea turtles and lights.
As successful as this workshop was, we are sure we can make the next one even better! Stay tuned for information regarding our next workshop coming up this summer…..
Sincerely,
The 2010 Sea Turtle Patrol Team
















