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<\/p>\nTAMPA, Fla. – Florida wildlife officials are urging July Fourth beachgoers to leave personal fireworks at home and watch professional shows to protect vulnerable sea turtles and nesting shorebirds along the coast.<\/p>\n
Protecting coastal sea turtles <\/p>\n
What we know:<\/p>\n
Personal fireworks are highly disruptive to wildlife during the current sea turtle nesting season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
State wildlife officials explain that the intense, bright lights and booming sounds from private coastal displays quickly disorient young hatchlings and nearby birds.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Furthermore, trash left behind, and deep holes dug into the sand become hazardous barriers for turtle hatchlings attempting to crawl safely to the ocean waves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To mitigate these issues, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission advises keeping at least 50 feet away from any nesting sea turtles.<\/p>\n
Safeguarding native beach birds <\/p>\n
Dig deeper:<\/p>\n
Officials have not yet confirmed how many specific beaches or critical wildlife zones are currently hosting active nests this holiday weekend.<\/p>\n
Local shorebirds and seabirds are also actively nesting right now in the sand and across mangrove islands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
State officials recommend maintaining a distance of at least 300 feet from these bird nesting areas, so their reproduction cycle is not interrupted.<\/p>\n
Identifying marked nesting zones <\/p>\n
Local perspective:<\/p>\n
Environmental teams have posted signs marking active nesting sites, and there are official critical wildlife areas signs, providing clear visual boundaries for beachgoers and their pets to avoid.<\/p>\n
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission by FOX 13\u2019s Briona Arradondo.<\/p>\n
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