To protect endangered nesting sea turtles Tybee Island urges everyone to turn off or shield light coming from structures visible from the beach.
Lights should be turned off nightly after 9 PM from May 1st to October 31st.
Artificial light can discourage females from nesting and confuse hatchlings that emerge from the nest at night. Hatchlings look for the moon’s reflection on the water to guide them to the sea and are misdirected by artificial light. If they don’t make it to the ocean quickly, these baby turtles can die from dehydration or be caught by predators like birds or crabs.
