Lights out, Alice...

LowTide

May 12 · 

It was a long day in conference.

I opt out of dining with coworkers; the lure of my peaceful room holds me back. Reclining in a lounge chair on a balcony overlooking the ocean, I take in cool salty air. The sound of rhythmic surf is like a lullaby. Stars capture my view under a clear sky.

I can breathe again.

Once I manage to move from my self-induced coma, I observe below the railing. A runner is on the path next to a berm that separates the beach from the hotel. I notice that amber-colored lights dimly light the path. Amber lights? Of course, I remember! I jump up and pull the curtains over the window to block the light escaping from my room.

This beach is a nesting site for endangered loggerhead turtles. Females lay their eggs in the sand just above the high-tide line. When the hatchlings emerge, usually at night, they dig through the sand and head for the water. Night conditions are ideal because the temperature of the sand is cooler to young vulnerable bodies and the darkness makes hatchlings less visible to predators.

Much like me on a moonlit night, the hatchlings are drawn to the reflection of the moon dancing across the waves. Their first journey from the nest toward the ocean helps build strength, which is essential to their survival. (I think there might be a lesson in this somewhere that also speaks to effective parenting--and other quests.)

Bright, artificial lights can misguide the hatchlings away from the ocean. If you find hatchlings wandering in the wrong direction, they can be relocated to a dark area of the beach where they will crawl to the ocean on their own.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission provides information about artificial light and sea turtle hatching behavior.
http://myfwc.com/…/wildlife/se…/threats/artificial-lighting/

Sea turtles find their strength crawling toward the beach. It is no surprise that the beach has the same effect on me, especially under a moonlit sky.