Chris Johnson

Thanks for the Doge! Really amazing to see the support from the Dogecoin community.

Thanks for helping us out! Almost halfway to our goal now.

Hey Jim, thanks for supporting us and spreading the word about the turtles! See you on the beach.

Thanks for helping us out. We will keep the turtles safe for you!

We use red LED lights for two reasons. Leatherbacks, loggerheads and Green sea turtles are not really affected by very narrow spectrum, red light. They do see the light, but do not appear to be bothered by the lights when they are used CAREFULLY. As we are conducting our work with leatherbacks, there are many other turtles nesting at the same time. It is very important that we do not impact any turtles while they are on the beach. We are permitted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to use these lights. Another reason we use red lights is so we do not affect our night vision. Our team does not use any type of lighting on our ATV's as we traverse the beach. After about thirty minutes in the dark, our eyes have adjusted to the moon, stars and sky glow and it is surprising how well anyone can see once their eyes adjust. Any type of white light quickly bleaches out Rhodopsin, a pigment in the rods of our retinas that allow us to see in dim light. These pigments are not as sensitive to the narrow spectrum red LED lights and our night vision is minimally affected. We only use these lights while we are working alongside the turtles. Each year, our team sees a lot of beachgoers walking down the beach at night with red lights. They must remember that the turtles are able to see these lights and are often spooked by the movement of the red lights. It could also be considered harassment to have any type of flashlight while viewing turtles at night without a permit. Dark beaches are better for turtles.

Thanks for helping out! Be sure to tell your friends about the project.