How light pollution threatens wildlife on the Gulf Coast

Florida is known across the U.S. as the ‘Sunshine State.’ But stay outdoors after the sun sets, and you’ll discover a new world. FEWER FIREFLIES LIGHTING UP THE NIGHT SKY John O'Connell is a photographer and environmental science professor. At dusk, he met Gulf Coast News at the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed, or CREW. The preserved land spans eastern Lee and northern Collier counties. "It's natural,” O’Connell said. “It's away from some of the city lights. It's away from pesticides.” And that’s just what he needs, because what O’Connell is after is hard to find and can only be seen after night falls. “I'm out here to capture fireflies,” he said, adjusting his camera. “Just after dusk, they're starting to do their show." But it’s getting harder to find them, O’Connell said. Because of ongoing development, pesticides and light pollution, fewer fireflies are lighting up the night sky. “We see oil spills or fish tangled in nets or something like that as real obvious pollution,” he said. “We don't think about leaving all our exterior lights on, pointing every which way, as being a problem for nature. But it is." Bats and migrating birds can also be impacted, O’Connell said. Even at CREW – in a place far away from populated areas – the threat can be seen. Skyglow from Immokalee splashes the horizon behind O’Connell. Still, it hasn't stopped him from capturing nature's elusive beauty. Two years ago, he combined many stills into one shot to create a stunning image of fireflies dotting the landscape. “When I posted it on social media, people were in disbelief. Because they didn't think that fireflies still existed in Lee and Collier counties,” he said. “They're here — they're just far away from where the people are." SKYGLOW THREATENS SEA TURTLES ALONG OUR SHORELINE Along the coast on Sanibel Island, Savannah Weber also works in the moonlight. She’s a sea turtle biologist with the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, which patrols the beach from sunrise to sunset in the summer, tagging female turtles for research. "I love it,” Weber said. “It's so serene. It's so spiritual. I feel so connected to nature out here." It’s hard to see Savannah – but that's exactly the point. Sanibel has strict light ordinances, so what she does use is a shade of red. It's to protect sea turtles – to help them get back to the ocean. Their very survival depends on it. "Sea turtles use the moon and the stars to navigate,” Weber said. “After the nesting females lay a nest or after the hatchlings hatch, they are looking for the brightest part on the horizon." "The red light is actually a different wavelength that the sea turtles, their eyes can't really detect,” she continued. But artificial white light they can detect, and it can disorient them. Despite Sanibel's rules, skyglow can be seen on the island from cities miles away, like Cape Coral and Fort Myers. Of the nearly 400 turtle nests that hatched last year, about a quarter were disoriented. The vast majority of those were blamed on skyglow. "We'll see hatchling tracks go up into the dune all the time because again, they're looking for, ‘Okay, I need to go to the brightest point on the horizon.’ And then they see that,” Weber said, pointing to skyglow on the opposite side of the shoreline. NEARLY 100 LIGHT VIOLATIONS ON FORT MYERS BEACH JUST THIS YEAR On Fort Myers Beach, the fight against light is even tougher. The coast is closely lined with tall hotels, businesses, and vacation homes. “We got to kind of find that balance between nature's needs and human wants,” Ranger Rob Howell said. He’s a naturalist with Pink Shell Resort. Town rules require turtle-friendly outdoor lighting, but a town spokesperson said they have 99 cases of violations already this year. "Sometimes we can say – that's the building that's having the issues. And we got to go knock on those doors and say, ‘You cost the lives of these turtles,’" Howell explained. HOW EXPERTS SAY YOU CAN HELP FIGHT THE LIGHT Whether you live along the ocean or inland, and whether your community has light restrictions or not, those working to protect the Florida night say you can help. Lights that point down, are close to the ground, or are shielded can all limit skyglow and lighten the human footprint. “I think just being more mindful of — I don't need to have my porch light on,” Weber said. “I don't need to have all the white lights in the living room on while I'm sleeping. I don't need to have this floodlight on." O'Connell urges people to get out in the darkness – to gaze at what’s above and fight for it amid the constant development. After all, the natural beauty of Florida is what draws people here. O’Connell believes people have a responsibility to protect it. “Out of all those places up there, there's only one that we know of that works for us to live on,” he said, pointing to the night sky. “And so, we should take care of that place. And appreciate that we're here." DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment, and original programming on your TV.