Sea Turtles & Wildlife Lighting Workshops

There will be a free Sea Turtles & Wildlife Lighting Workshop held at the Gulf Islands National Seashore Naval Live Oaks Auditorium on February 6 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This state-sponsored (FFWCC and USF&WS) workshop is being held for those who:

- Own, manage or maintain property/business near a sea turtle nesting beach,

- Offer a service that in any way involves lighting for coastal properties,

- Are interested in protecting sea turtles without compromising human safety,

- Work with turtle monitoring groups, local government, public safety.

After the workshop you may take the official sea turtle lighting exam and receive a certificate from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Homeowners are welcome to attend.

Another public lighting workshop tailored more toward homeowners will tentatively be held on March 19th at the Santa Rosa Island Authority board room. The exact format of this meeting has yet to be determined, but the sponsors are considering an "open house" with repeat presentations during the evening (5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.) in order for people to more easily fit it into their schedules.

If you are interested in attending one of these events, please RSVP to Andrew Diller, Florida Sea Grant Extension Agent at the University of Florida IFAS Extension in Cantonment. His number is (850) 475-5233. You may also e-mail him at: apdiller@ufl.edu

Pssst...tell him Barrier Island Girl sent you!