Number: 1999-05
WHEREAS, all seven of the earth’s species of sea turtles are seriously threatened with extinction; and
WHEREAS, artificial lighting significantly increases the incidence of injury and death to sea turtles and therefore poses a threat to their survival and recovery; mother sea turtles disoriented by artificial lighting from buildings, street lights, beach lamps and motor vehicles abort nesting attempts; sea turtle hatchlings disoriented by such artificial lighting crawl toward the alternative light source or meander along the beach rather than head toward the sea; and misguided turtle hatchlings succumb to exhaustion, dehydration, predators, or the impact of motor vehicles; and
WHEREAS, communities that turn off lights, redirect lights and employ substitute lighting technologies have successfully prevented sea turtle injury and mortality from artificial lighting; and
WHEREAS, light pollution is a problem which few people are aware of; and
WHEREAS, since the average individual thinks of outdoor lighting as completely benign and harmless, and the more the better, it will take a program of education to make communities and individuals aware of what the difference is between bad lighting and good lighting; and
WHEREAS, light pollution is a problem which will not go away and as more people move into wilderness areas, more lighting will need to be installed; and
WHEREAS, in addition to sea turtles, artificial lighting also poses a risk to migrating songbirds and threatened nesting seabirds and may pose risks to other wildlife, such as affecting breeding cycles; and
WHEREAS, further research and education on the risks of artificial lighting to other wildlife is warranted;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in its Annual Meeting assembled March 18-21, 1999, in Houston, Texas, supports the development and implementation of an education program to teach the general public about light pollution; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation supports research and education efforts focused on addressing the harmful impacts of light pollution on sea turtles and other wildlife; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges federal, state and local policymakers, including agencies that install light fixtures and agencies charged with protecting wildlife, to implement programs that protect sea turtles from the harmful impacts of artificial lighting, including programs that encourage landowners to turn off lights, redirect lights, and employ substitute lighting technologies; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation supports policies that require recipients of federal lighting subsidies (such as federal highway money and federal disaster relief) to install lighting technologies designed to prevent harm or impact to sea turtle populations.