High technology by a local company soon could be improving baby sea turtles' chances of survival.

Beeman Lights is developing "turtle-friendly" lights for beachfront buildings that it says won't attract hatchlings as they emerge from their nests, unlike existing lights that can disorient the young creatures and lead them to early deaths.

"This is homeland security for turtles," said Nelson Martin, the company's chief executive.

Sea turtle hatchlings instinctively use light to guide them to the ocean, which normally is the brightest object around. But artificial lights, like street lamps and security lights, can lead hatchlings away from the sea - leaving them more vulnerable to predators and at greater risk of dying from dehydration and exhaustion.

Instead of using incandescent or fluorescent technology, Beeman's lights use light-emitting diodes that emit light at a wavelength that the human eye views as red but turtles either ignore or can't see.

The turtle lights could be used to illuminate balconies, hallways, pathways and stairwells at thousands of beachfront condominiums, hotels and resorts worldwide, Martin said. Beeman hopes to begin marketing the lights, whose cost is expected to be in the $50 to $70 range each, to commercial customers in August, he said.

The company has patents pending on the turtle lights, which Florida Atlantic and Nova Southeastern universities will field-test at beaches in Florida and Costa Rica this summer. A local sea turtle advocate will be among those watching the results.

"We're all feeling pretty good about this one so far," said Suzi Fox, director of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch, who has no ownership stake in the company. "This could save an untold number of hatchlings."

Last year, there were 1,460 reported incidents in Florida where artificial light disoriented more than 79,000 turtles, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said. There were 933 reported cases involving more than 43,000 turtles the year before.

The concept of using LED lights isn't new: In a 1996 technical report, the Florida Marine Research Institute said red LEDs "come close to being ideal for use near sea turtle nesting beaches."

But their use has not become widespread because they typically were more expensive than, and incompatible with, existing incandescent or fluorescent light fixtures, said Eric Bretschneider, Beeman's director of solid state light engineering research.

Beeman's turtle light can be retrofitted onto existing fixtures, and include a magnetic switch that can change the light's color so that the fixture doesn't have to replaced at the end of nesting season. That, coupled with LEDs' potential 30-year life-span, should make it more attractive to those who have to comply with lighting restrictions during nesting season, Bretschneider said.

"Resorts don't want to spend $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 a year on fines or shut off the lights and risk a lawsuit when someone trips in the dark," he said.

Simply screwing red light bulbs don't work either, because they emit some blue light that humans miss but turtles don't, Bretschneider said.

Randy Beeman, the company's president, said he came up with the turtle light "by accident" while working on a landscaping light the company also is developing.

One night, he noticed a Longboat Key resort had nothing but yellow lights on its Gulf of Mexico side and asked why. After being told, he began researching the issue, learned about red LEDs and had the proverbial light bulb go off in his head.

Fox is hoping that idea becomes reality after years of unsuccessful efforts by others.

"I've been trying to find a light that works for years," she said. "If this doesn't work, I'm going to be the first to say it doesn't work. But I think it will."

April 23rd, 2004