NAGS HEAD, NC — As the sun shone on Jennette’s Pier on Friday, countless people flocked to the pier or out to sea. The pier has undergone some major changes that aren’t visible during the day, but can’t be missed at night.
“Wildlife-friendly lighting is not harsh or soft white. It is lighting with an amber color temperature that almost has an orange glow,” says Mike Remige, director of Jennette’s Pier.
The North Carolina Aquariums Division has wanted to make changes to better protect wildlife for years, and that has now become a reality at Jennette’s Pier, with 200 shielded amber lights up and down the structure.
The Outer Banks are home to countless species of wildlife, but the biggest change is in sea turtles. In a normal summer, there are about 30 nests in the area, each containing at least 80 eggs.
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“Most of our turtles here are loggerhead turtles. They nest at night and their young hatch at night,” says Tony Parisi, president of the Endangered Sea Turtle Network.
The Endangered Sea Turtle Network employs hundreds of volunteers to help monitor each nest site. Teams travel from the Virginia state line to southern Nags Head from mid-May through August, looking for possible nests.
Parisis said holes are a challenge, but one of the biggest obstacles to mothers laying eggs and young reaching water is artificial white light.
“When the young come out, they are attracted to the brightest place, which is the ocean. If there are bright lights in houses or other facilities or in parking lots behind the dune, they see that they are not going to the ocean, but in the wrong direction, and that is not good,” Parisi said.
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Although changing the color of the light may seem like a small step, it can have lasting and significant impacts on wildlife and sea turtle populations for years to come.
“Let’s face it, the Outer Banks are built up. They’re built up and that’s not going to change. And that’s the foundation of our economy and we love it. That’s why we’re here to welcome visitors to the Outer Banks to this beautiful place. But if we can lessen the impact on the animals that have been here for thousands of years, you know, millions of years before us, then that’s all the better,” Remige said.
“This is great what they have done. It will certainly have an impact on all sea turtles. I know the wildlife in this area and it would be helpful if this could be implemented in other places near the beach,” Parisi said.
The project was funded and made possible by the North Carolina Aquarium Society.
