Adult nesting and hatchling emergence usually take place at night. One of the main cues to navigate while on the beach has to do with the relatively darker dune creating dark silhouettes against the night sky, which screens out celestial light from the stars and moon, and the relatively brighter ocean, which reflects celestial light. The contrast between the darker dune and the brighter ocean is the main way sea turtles tell the difference between land and water. Hatchling sea turtles emerging from their nests use these same cues to move towards the water and away from land.

Artificial light can disrupt these natural nesting and emergence cues causing false crawls and disorientations. Artificial lights can deter adult females from nesting on the beach resulting in fewer nests and disorientations can often result in adult and hatchling mortalities. For these reasons, minimizing light directly visible (coastal properties, flashlights, interior light, etc.) and indirectly visible (reflective light and sky glow) from the beach is important for the survival of the species.

Using wildlife lighting will reduce negative artificial lighting impacts on nesting beaches. The state of Florida, with help from scientists and technical advisors defines wildlife lighting as lights that utilize three rules: keep it low, keep it shielded, and keep it long. These rules can be applied to your own property, but it is important to first remove any unnecessary lights used purely for decorative purposes from your property. Any remaining lights needed for human safety at night should utilize all three rules to be effective.