Residents and conservation commissioners urge dark-sky review as Acorn Hill lighting proposal moves to selectmen

Anoka Farooqi, a Woodbridge resident, told the Conservation Commission on July 2 that Acorn Hill should be treated as a civic landscape where recreation, restoration and renewable energy serve multiple public purposes. "We believe these are false choices" between baseball, development and preservation, she said, and argued for trails, meadow restoration and low‑impact solar that respect neighborhood vistas.

Her remarks, followed by a design outline from nearby resident David Triscoll, provoked concern about a separate proposal to install LED flood lighting at the Acorn Hill ballfields. Eleven‑year‑old local resident Elliot said the lights would "potentially alter the way of looking for the surrounding animals," warning that nocturnal birds such as owls use stars and darkness for navigation.

At the meeting, Christina Andress urged the commission to consider a comprehensive dark‑sky lighting ordinance so decisions at one site do not become a townwide precedent. Longtime resident speakers also cited 1995 Board of Selectmen minutes that envisioned the Acorn Hill parcel as an open‑vistas property and noted past restrictions on lights and sound at the site.

Commission member Marissa (presenting a literature review at the same meeting) summarized a large body of research on artificial light at night. She told commissioners that global light pollution is rising and that blue‑rich LED wavelengths are especially disruptive to wildlife and to human circadian biology; she quoted a conservation expert saying, "There is no such thing as wildlife‑friendly lighting. The best solution is no light beyond natural conditions." Marissa provided citation material and encouraged targeted mitigation where lighting is necessary.

Commission members confirmed that the baseball‑lighting application had been forwarded to the Board of Selectmen and said they want more detail on operating hours, seasonal use and proposed dimming/timers. Several commissioners called the lighting proposal a potential slippery slope — noting that the town’s high‑school field is permitted limited light use — and recommended researching how other towns have adopted dark‑sky policies before issuing a formal recommendation to the selectmen.

The commission did not take a formal vote on the lighting proposal at the July 2 meeting. Members asked staff to compile the proposal’s operating details and to prepare a short research brief (including examples such as other towns’ ordinances and Dark Sky resources) for consideration at a future meeting.