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LIGHTS OUT! During Sea Turtle Nesting Season
Nesting turtles once had no trouble finding a quiet dark beach in which to nest, but now they must compete with tourists, businesses and coastal residents. Artificial light shining toward the beach discourages females from nesting. If a female fails to nest after multiple false crawls, she will resort to less-than-optimal nesting spots or deposit her eggs in the ocean. Hatchlings instinctively move toward the brightest illumination, which is normally moonlight reflecting off the ocean. Artificial lighting causes hatchlings to become disoriented and wander inland, where they die of dehydration or predation.
From May 1 to October 31, please turn your LIGHTS OUT! for Tybee Island’s nesting sea turtles. Other options include: use turtle safe lighting—red lights that emit a very narrow spectrum, less intrusive to nesting turtles and hatchlings; tint windows that face the beach; close opaque curtains after dark, or install special fixtures to shield lights from the beach. Turtle safe lighting and fixtures can be found at Starry Night Lights’ website http://store.starrynightlights.com/tufrli.html.
Watch Out for Pedestrians!
The season is coming into full swing. Georgia Law requires that you STOP for pedestrians in marked cross walks. If someone is crossing or trying to cross in a marked sidewalk, you must stop to allow them to cross. It is illegal to pass a car stopped at a crosswalk – you must assume that a pedestrian is crossing. Also, the speed limit on Butler Avenue is 30 MPH from the Curve all the way to Tybrisa. Following our speed limit will help you stop in time at crosswalks, too!
Water Department Wants to Help You Save Money!
Our Water Department has found a supply of water conservation tools that are available at the City Hall Cashier’s Desk. Water displacement bags, to cut water use in your toilet, are free. Easy-to-install outdoor and indoor, low-flow showerheads are available for $5.61 ($6 with sales tax).
Help Tybee. Be Counted.
As of publication, Tybee’s Census participation is at 76%. As the Census Bureau does not mail forms to PO boxes, most Tybee residents did not receive a form in the mail! Beginning May 1st and potentially running until June 30th, Census workers will visit uncounted homes to make sure everyone is included.
Tybee’s share of funding from federal, state, and county governments is determined by the population counted by the Census. These funds contribute to infrastructure and services on Tybee by bringing your tax dollars back to be spent on the island. With the relatively small population in Tybee, it becomes even more important that every person participate!
Forums On the City Web Site
Lost & Found Forums on the City’s website has been helping reunite pets and their owners. When you post a lost or found item there, your posts will automatically be repeated on the City’s Facebook page. Additional forums are now open to discuss Transportation and Parking, Better Hometown, and a place for general suggestions, Check out the City Forum link on the City’s Home page. You will need to register to create a login, but there is no fee and the registration is just to make sure we only have real people participating in the forums.
Our New Font
To save taxpayer money, the City is making an effort to move to fonts that use less ink and toner.
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