Jekyll Island Hotels Violate Rule Protecting Sea Turtles

“It’s not that our group is saying, ‘Oh no, we don’t want to see any development on Jekyll,’” said Dave Egan, co-founder of the organization. “We just want to see smart development and we would like to see development that is certainly friendly towards sea turtle nesting.”

A lot of the problems are at the new Westin Hotel. Egan said lights in the hotel’s lobby and landscaping are too bright. And lights in beach-facing balconies shine onto the beach.

“Building a hotel that high, that tall, that close to the beach, with that many windows casting that much light is almost inevitably going to cause problems for sea turtle nesting,” said Egan.

Representatives from the hotel did not return a request for comment. According to the data provided by the Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island, there were also violations at the Holiday Inn, Days Inn, Beachview Club and property owned by the Jekyll Island Authority.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources monitors light on the beach during nesting season, and the Jekyll Island Authority is responsible for enforcing the ordinance. Jekyll is home to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.

Despite the problems, the turtles are on track for a good year, according to the DNR. There could be a record-breaking number of nests this season. On Monday, the first egg of the season hatched in Georgia on Ossabaw Island.