Sea Turtles Habitat Conservation Plan Lighting Mitigation Plan July 10, 2003

Transcription

1 ea Turtles Habitat Conservation Plan Lighting Mitigation Plan July 10, 003 regory L. Morris & ssociates P.O. Box an Juan, P.R

2 TBL OF COTT ea Turtles Habitat Conservation Plan... 1 Lighting Mitigation Plan ITRODUCTIO.... LIHT POLLUTIO....1 est ite election.... ea Finding Hatching ea Turtle Orientation Misorientation and Disorientation LIHT THT CU PROBLM Categories of rtificial Lighting.... TLTIC BCH DVLOPMT OLUTIO TO TH PROBLM CUD BY RTIFICIL LIHTI Methods for Managing Light Turn off Problem lights Minimization of Beach Lighting from Outdoor ources Minimization of Beach Lighting from Indoor ources ducation election of Light ources... 7

3 1. ITRODUCTIO tlantic Beach is a residential project of 8 units proposed at an area of 7.9 cuerdas located at Medianía lta Ward in the municipality of Loíza. The property joins tlantic Ocean at its northern limit. This Light Pollution Prevention Plan has been prepared in response to a request of U.. Fish and Wildlife ervice (UFW). ccording to UFW communication (dated December, 003) the site is located within the range of the following endangered sea turtle species: retmochelys imbricata Dermochelys coriacea Hawksbill sea turtle Leatherback sea turtle The purpose of this plan is to provide preventive and conservation measures to reduce disturbances to sea turtles caused by light pollution before and after the construction of tlantic Beach.. LIHT POLLUTIO Many ecological disturbances in the planet are caused by human beings, light pollution may be among the most manageable as it differs from other pollutants both in its form (light is energy rather than substance), and in its effect on sea turtles. The effect that light pollution has on sea turtle is essentially psychological; it is best described not as toxic material but as misinformation or disorientation. Light pollution on nesting beaches is detrimental to sea turtles because it alters critical behaviors, such as: 1. How sea turtles choose nesting sites,. How they return to the sea after nesting, and 3. How hatchlings find the sea after emerging from their nests..1 est ite election ea turtles select a nest site by deciding where to emerge from the surf and where on the beach to put their eggs. The clearly demonstrated effect of artificial lighting on nesting is to deter turtles from emerging from the water. The artificial lighting of sea turtle nesting beaches can be considered a form of habitat loss. When nesting lighting deters sea turtles from nesting beaches, nesting turtles may be forced to select less appropriate nesting sites. There is also the potential that turtles deterred from nesting may shed their eggs at sea.

4 . ea Finding fter a sea turtle has camouflaged her nest, she must orient toward the sea and return there. xperiments have proven that turtles rely on vision to find the sea (Mrosovsky and hettleworth, 1975) and also on brightness for correct seaward orientation. It s been found that artificial lighting disrupts this sea finding behavior. However turtles attempting to return to the sea after nesting are not misdirected nearly as often as are hatchlings emerging on the same beaches..3 Hatching ea Turtle Orientation pproximately one to seven days after hatching from eggs beneath the sand (Demmer, 1981; Christens, 1990) hatchlings emerge from their nest and orient toward the sea without delay. This emergence of hatchlings and subsequent sea finding takes place principally at night (Hendrickson, 1958; Carr and Hirth, 1961; Bustard, 1967; eville et al., 1988; Witherington et al., 1990). Hatchlings that are physically kept from the sea or that have their sea finding disrupted by unnatural stimuli often die from exhaustion, dehydration, predation, and other causes (McFarlane, 1963; Philkibosian, 1976; Hayes and Ireland, 1978; Mann, 1978).. Misorientation and Disorientation Hatchlings on artificially lighted beaches tend to crawl in the wrong direction. Hatchings that are oriented away from the most direct ocean path are said to be misoriented. Hatchlings that are unsure about orientation direction demonstrate their uncertainty by frequently changing direction and circling. Hatchlings lacking directed orientation are said to be disoriented. Hatchlings often become disoriented by overhead light sources. Frequently, hatchlings that are oriented toward an artificial light source become disoriented as they reach the source. Hatchlings also appear to become disoriented when they reach boundaries between artificially lighted areas and shadows on the beach. Turtle in this predicament exit the shadows toward the lighted beach sand, become exposed to the light from the artificial source itself, move toward the light source into the shadow, and may repeat this cycle until the become exhausted often dying if not from exhaustion from dehydration, predation and other causes. 3. LIHT THT CU PROBLM lthough the attributes that can make a light source harmful to sea turtles are complex a simple rule has proven to be useful in identifying problem lighting under a variety of conditions:

5 n artificial light source is likely to cause problems for sea turtles if light from the source can be seen by an observer standing anywhere on the nesting beach. If any glowing portion of a luminary (including the lamp, globe, or reflector) is directly visible from the beach, then this source is likely to be a problem for sea turtles. But light may also reach the beach indirectly by reflecting off buildings or trees that are visible from the beach. Bright or numerous sources, especially those directed upward, will illuminate sea mist and low clouds, creating a distinct glow visible from the beach. This urban skyglow is common over brightly lighted areas. lthough some indirect lighting may be perceived as nonpointsource light pollution, contributing light sources can be readily identified and include sources that are poorly directed or are directed upward. Indirect lighting can originate far from the beach. lthough most of the light that sea turtles can detect can also be seen by humans, it should be pointed out that some sources, particularly those emitting nearultraviolet and violet light will appear brighter to sea turtles than to humans. 3.1 Categories of rtificial Lighting There are two general categories of artificial lighting that should be taken into account for purposes of preventing light pollution: Direct lighting: luminary is considered to be direct lighting if some glowing element of the luminary (e.g., the globe, lamp, reflector) is visible to an observer on the beach. source not visible from one location may be visible from another farther down the beach. Indirect lighting: luminary is considered to be indirect lighting if it is not visible from the beach but illuminates an object (e.g., building, wall, tree) that is visible from the beach. ny object on the dune that appears to glow is probably being lighted by an indirect source.. TLTIC BCH DVLOPMT s shown in Figure 1, Medianía lta Ward in the Municipality of Loíza is proposed to develop a residential project in an area of 7.9 cuerdas. The following table provides information regarding the land distribution of the project. Table 1: Proposed Use Proposed Land Use for tlantic Beach rea (quare Meters) 8 residential units,56 Recreational facilities 1,095 Parking, storage facilites and access road 10,680 reen areas 11,0

6 Coastal Zone 3,07 Total 31,079 s shown in Figure, tlantic Beach design proposed distribution of 8 residential units within 1 buildings of 3 floors each. Recreational Facilities as pools, gazebo and kids play ground will be located near the coastal zone. Therefore, the lighting plan should be focused on these structures. Measures proposed in the present document cannot be implied to be conclusive, as the corresponding construction drawings have not been prepared. Until that moment a final plan cannot be prepared. 5. OLUTIO TO TH PROBLM CUD BY RTIFICIL LIHTI. ome difficulty lies in recognizing light pollution and in agreeing upon which artificial lighting constitutes problem lighting as instruments that quantify light from a human perspective (such as most light meters) cannot accurately gauge brightness from the perspective of a sea turtle. Therefore the following methods have proven the more efficient for withdrawing light pollution. 5.1 Methods for Managing Light Turn off Problem lights Many light sources illuminate areas that do not need to be lighted. Therefore tlantic Beach should use only that light necessary for safety of security when needed during early hours, and switched off the remainder of the night. This applies to the following cases; o o ources illuminating areas that require no security. Light sources that illuminate areas that are vacant or where there is no foot traffic Minimization of Beach Lighting from Outdoor ources tlantic Beach following measures should be implemented the to prevent light pollution on beach. o vegetation barrier will be located along the northern limit of the property. o Outdoor lighting such as the one used for stairways, steps, handrails, pools, walkways, pools, will use low wattage. o Outdoor lighting should be concentrated only where it is most needed and be properly focused to minimize the escape of light on the nesting beach.

7 o Install timers to switch off lighting when it is no longer needed in the evening in such places as common areas. o Install motion detector switches to control lighting in areas such as walkways that are not commonly used Minimization of Beach Lighting from Indoor ources Indoor light is a problem if it is visible from the beach. Without compromising the intended function of the lighting tlantic Beach should eliminate the unwanted effects of indoor lighting by doing the following: o Using tinted glass for windows visible from the beach so that light passing from inside to outside is substantially reduced. o uggesting to the new owners to turn off the lighting in rooms that are not in use. o uggesting that new owners use curtains or blinds and to close them after dark to completely cover windows visible from the beach. o Using louvered step lighting to light balconies ducation The absence of education focused to the conservation of sea turtles contributes to an apathetic attitude among residents and administrators toward the serious efforts being made to save these endangered resources from extinction. Therefore tlantic Beach should adopt a proactive conservation approach. s the building phase of the project has not been started yet, the following is proposed: o When marketing project units, inform potential owners about the presence of endangered sea turtles in the beaches and the recommendations for management of their individual indoor and balcony lights (if applicable) to sea turtles. o Provide educational materials including pamphlets, flyers, signs, stickers, and posters to inform residents the consequences that light has on turtles nesting activities and hatchlings and the ways to prevent this damage. o Incorporate sea-turtle-related clauses and regulations in the purchase agreement for apartments and the condominium regulations. o Provide compulsory training for security and maintenance personnel to be prepared to manage emergency situations related to these species.

8 5.1.5 election of Light ources t the moment this Light Pollution Prevention Plan is written, tlantic Beach does not have yet its construction drawings. Therefore it is not possible at this phase to know exactly which lights be chosen. tlantic Beach should follow a strategy where it can reduce effects on sea turtles by manipulating both intensity and color. When having the opportunity to choose among lights sources ensure that any light reaching the beach has spectral properties that make it minimally disruptive to sea turtles. void the use of white fluorescent tubes and use where possible red lights for walkways and steps, empathize on the use of wavelength light sources, and where possible use the least wattage. It is through these strategies that tlantic Beach should fulfill its commitment toward the environment.

9 TLTIC BCH RORT CLL PR km Figure 1: Location Map. ource: U Topographic Quadrangle U, Municipio de Río rande.

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