Bowditch Park receives turtle friendly lights
New lights have been installed at Bowditch Pointe Park.
Community Development’s Environmental Science Division received a grant for $36,150 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to replace lighting at the Lee County park on the north end of Fort Myers Beach.
The project replaces light shields (uses existing poles and supports) and replaces traditional light bulbs with amber-colored LED lights. Although the ultimate goal is to be turtle-friendly, the project also offers the advantage of cutting energy costs.
This sentinel effort will help county officials quantify expected savings from its long-term plan to replace traditional light bulbs with LED lights. It also provides a visible, tangible example ofhow property can be upgraded and still be turtle-friendly. Current lighting meets county requirements, but the new lighting provides even more advantages by switching to the energy-efficient, lower intensity amber lighting.
“We installed the lights over a two-week period,” said Lee County Electrical Supervisor Randy Admire. “Lee County’s Carol Lis put in for the grant. We met together and discussed what we wanted to do. The big factor was the turtle issues and the plus is the energy cost efficiency.”