Ocean Isle Beach sea turtle group pushes for turtle-friendly lighting legislation

OCEAN ISLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) — A nonprofit organization in Ocean Isle Beach is hoping North Carolina lawmakers revive legislation that would require turtle-friendly lighting near sea turtle nesting sites.

The Ocean Isle Beach Sea Turtle Protection Organization has raised money to install amber LED streetlights closest to the beach, replacing traditional white lights that can disorient newly hatched sea turtles.

The organization says hatchlings naturally follow the brightest light on the horizon, which should be the moon reflecting off the ocean. White streetlights can confuse the turtles, causing them to crawl inland instead of toward the water.

Island Coordinator Deb Allen said state lawmakers should take action to help protect North Carolina’s coastal ecosystems.

“Streetlights are a human made problem, that deserve a human made solution, and that needs to start at the top. Our North Carolina legislators need to believe in our state and believe in our ecosystems, here at Ocean Isle Beach and everywhere, and how important they are,” Allen said.

Allen hopes a House bill that would require turtle-friendly lighting near nesting areas will be revived after it died in committee two years ago.

The organization is also monitoring separate legislation in the state Senate that would repeal North Carolina’s ban on hardened coastal structures, such as seawalls.

Allen said those structures can create barriers that make it more difficult for sea turtles to reach the sand dunes where they nest.