Keep it Rural: Say no to lights at Scott Jenkins Memorial Park

We are opposed to the Loudoun County Department of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure’s SPEX-2021-0025 application to provide lighting for Scott Jenkins Memorial Park.

We strongly disagree with the applicant’s statement that “The development of the site will not negatively impact the area in any unusual or significant way above or beyond what is normal for a site of this nature.”

We oppose this application for the following reasons:

Our family owns a farm that is located directly south of Scott Jenkins Memorial Park that is under a conservation easement held by the Nature Conservancy.  Large areas to our south and west are also held in other conservation easements.  One of the primary purposes of these easements is “to ensure that the property will be retained forever predominantly in its natural and scenic condition.” 

The Loudoun County Comprehensive Plan encourages the use of open space easements to protect agricultural resources, preserve farms, forests and open space and the rural character of the landscape in Rural Areas (Chapter 4 – Land Use, Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Hamilton and JLMA 2003-2020).

Additionally, the preservation of the property through the conservation easement furthers the goals of the Comprehensive Plan to “conserve agricultural resources and avoid environmental pollution which would degrade the farmland, the natural environment and the surrounding communities” (Chapter 6 – Natural Resources-Hamilton, Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Hamilton and JLMA 2003-2020).

In 2011, we included provisions in our conservation easement that allow for the establishment of a non-commercial nature park.  At that time, we began discussions with NOVA Parks about developing and donating a Dark-Sky Park somewhere on the northwest slope of Catoctin Mountain, where there are high open fields with elevations over 550 feet that look directly to the west and are shielded by the mountain from the artificial lights originating around Leesburg and points east. 

The aspect of the sky at these locations would be directly and negatively impacted by sky glow created by the artificial lights proposed at Scott Jenkins Memorial Park (elevation about 530 feet), which would make it pointless, or at best, difficult to establish a Dark-Sky Nature Park.  

It is important to note that sky glow, a primary source of light pollution, can be seen as far as 200 miles away from its source.  Shielded lights, as proposed by the applicant for Scott Jenkins Memorial Park, contribute to sky glow and reduce visibility of the night.  Not only will our area be impacted, but the additional sky glow may impact Sky Meadows State Park, located in Delaplane, Virginia, and designated as a prestigious International Dark-Sky Park.

According to the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan, the night sky “is an asset’ and “is important to the health, safety, and welfare of Loudoun residents.”  

Listening to spring peepers, chasing fireflies, viewing the Milky Way and other cosmic and night ecological explorations are activities that should be encouraged, protected, and cherished in our rural community.  These activities can be easily accessed by anyone at no cost.   

The total cost for the proposed lights at the park is $3,806,000 – see County 2022 Adopted Budget for Scott Jenkins Memorial Park – Phase III.

Currently, the vast majority of our land is used for agricultural crop production.  However, we have also considered the use of greenhouses for agriculture/horticulture crops to help support the farm.  The potential location for our greenhouses – where we already have existing infrastructure, including road access, power, and sewer and water – is about 1500 feet south of the southernmost ballfield.

Many greenhouse crops are genetically programmed to set buds on strict schedules for day and night.  This is referred to as photoperiodism.  Any use of artificial light – including lights from athletic fields – beyond these schedules will negatively impact greenhouse crops and not allow the plant to grow appropriately.

Ellmore’s Garden Center, which has been in business in Hamilton for 48 years and operates greenhouses, is also at risk. 

Our conservation easement, one of the largest in Loudoun County, protects wildlife.  Bald eagles, hawks, wild turkeys, bear, coyotes, deer, snakes, turtles and numerous insects, amphibians and migrating birds rely on the natural and scenic condition of our land.

 A 2016 report from The Council on Science and Public Health states, “60% of animals are nocturnal and are potentially adversely affected by exposure to nighttime electrical lighting.”

According to the International Dark-Sky Association, “Scientific evidence suggests that artificial light at night has negative and deadly effects on many creatures including amphibians, birds, mammals, insects and plants.”

For example, artificial light at night disrupts night-time ecology and the breeding rituals of amphibians, such as frogs and toads who may fail to reproduce, and breeding rituals and migrating patterns of birds who use the stars and moon to navigate or hunt.  Artificial lights cause them to migrate off-cycle and can radically alter their night-time environment by turning night into day.  Bats, too, are impacted as artificial lights act as a barrier to movement for many species of bats.

Additionally, insects are adversely affected by artificial light at night.  Ecology and Evolution (Volume 8, Issue 22, 2018) reports that artificial light at night inhibits biological processes in nocturnal insects, alters foraging activity and species interactions and causes spatial disorientation for some insects such as wasps, bees, and fireflies.  

Click beetles and glowworms are especially vulnerable to artificial illumination at night and studies have shown that ambient light inhibits courtship flashing of firefly species, including courtship signaling of both sexes in the North American firefly.  

Finally, there are roughly 80-100 homes close to the park that may be directly impacted by the lights.  There are at least 25 or more residences, including ours, on the south side of Rt. 7 within one half mile of the ballfields. Six residences are immediately adjacent to the west or north side of the park.  About another 50 residents are located in Hamilton Station Estates and Hamilton Estates developments.  

To date, we have welcomed and co-exist harmoniously with the park, in part because lights are not permitted, so games must end on or before sundown.  However, if lights up to 70 feet high are permitted in Jenkins Park and are allowed to remain on until 11 p.m., residents will feel as though they are living opposite Nationals Park.  

Residents will be negatively impacted by sky glow, light glare, light spillage onto adjacent properties, accompanying amplified noise, and increased traffic until late in the night.  

This is not and should never be the norm for rural areas of the County.  This will negatively impact work habits and sleep patterns for all, especially children and the elderly.

Once the sun is down, the quiet night should belong to residents who live in the surrounding area, as is normal and customary for rural areas of the County. They should not be disturbed by artificial light and amplified noise associated with athletic fields.   

Note that our conservation easement with the Nature Conservancy states that outdoor lighting is permitted provided “it is placed no more than twenty (20) feet high and not more than fifty (50) feet away from any improvement located on the property …”  This should give you a sense of how much the quiet night sky supports the scenic and natural condition of our property and neighboring areas.  Lights that are 70 feet high will significantly degrade the normal and customary, scenic and natural conditions of the properties surrounding Scott Jenkins Memorial Park.

We ask that the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors consider our reasons for opposing lights on Scott Jenkins Memorial Park to help protect the health and welfare of residents in Western Loudoun County, nearby farmland and conserved land, and not approve of SPEX-2021-0025.

Joyce and Henry Harris

Cattail, LC., Hamilton