There have been numerous investigations into the impact of light pollution upon sea turtles. Dr. Michael Salmon, a professor at Florida Atlantic University, was the principal investigator for a study of the effectiveness of amber shields installed on streetlights. He was awarded $4,000 by the Florida Power and Light Company to conduct this project, which showed that the shields were not effective enough in filtering out light. Dr. Blair Witherington, a researcher for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, has conducted many projects dealing with this very subject. In 1994, Dr. Witherington conducted a study that assessed the effect of coastal lighting on the sea turtle nesting beach at Mayport Naval Station, Florida. This project was funded by the United States Air Force with a grant of $10,990. During the years of 1992-1998, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service provided six annual ESA (Endangered Species Act) section 6 grants totaling $265,000 to fund another of Dr. Witherington’s investigations. He worked along with Barbara Schroeder and Allen Foley on this project, which researched the orientation of the sea turtle hatchlings as well as assessed the effectiveness of sea turtle lighting ordinances and prompted the production of a technical manual that outlined solutions to the light pollution problems of sea turtle nesting beaches. It is hard to choose just one project that deserves continuation of funding since they each had their own individual purpose. However, the project that seems to be most worthy of this would be the last project mentioned, which was funded by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. This investigation not only ascertained vital information having to do with the sea turtles and light pollution, but brought about the conception of a manual that provided answers to the problem of light pollution’s effect upon the sea turtle hatchlings. |