Enforce real dark sky protections
We are in the height of spring migration, culminating in World Migratory Bird Day on May 9, making this a symbolic moment to call upon the Southold Town Board to update the town code on light pollution. The code must be brought into alignment with the clear priorities expressed by Southold residents in the Comprehensive Plan, Chapter 5, Goal 10: Reducing Light Pollution.
Light pollution is not a minor inconvenience; it is a documented environmental threat. It contributes to the deaths of over one billion birds annually, as nearly 80% of migratory species travel at night and are disoriented by artificial light. Beyond birds, excessive nighttime lighting disrupts insects, fish, and other aquatic ecosystems, placing it squarely within the Trustees’ responsibility when reviewing permits.Despite these realities, the current town code lacks enforceable clarity. Southold is described as “Dark Sky compliant,” yet that designation is not codified in a way that enables meaningful enforcement. After reviewing the code in detail with a member of code enforcement, it became clear that explicit, actionable standards are missing.
This regulatory gap has tangible consequences. A neighbor, whose land borders a farm preserved by the Peconic Land Trust no less, installed extensive lighting at his summer home, lighting more appropriate for a strip mall than a rural road. Multiple light poles illuminate the property nightly, even when it is unoccupied, which is often, in an area where surrounding streets have little to no lighting. This is fundamentally out of character with the neighborhood and contradicts the community vision outlined in the Comprehensive Plan.
It raises a fundamental question: Why should one individual be allowed to permanently alter a neighborhood’s character or take away the night sky from others?
The Town Board must act decisively: update the code with precise, enforceable standards; allocate additional funding to code enforcement; implement nighttime inspections; and establish meaningful penalties. Additionally, any lighting within 100 feet of the water should fall under the Trustees’ purview and be taken into consideration when considering permits.
Protecting Southold’s night sky is essential to preserving its wildlife, ecosystems and rural character.
We have an immigration problem on the North Fork. But it’s not because the immigrants are the “worst of the worst.” It’s because the Department of Homeland Security and its Immigration and Customs Enforcement unit are intimidating the immigrant population.
We need to write our 1st District congressman, Nick Lalota, and tell him to have ICE act like regular policemen. We need to tell him that he should use his power as a congressman to get ICE to be identified like regular law enforcement officers — Suffolk or Southold police. That means wear a proper uniform, wear a badge, wear body cameras, drop the masks, use warrants, ditch the brutality and remember that in this country, one is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
There’s a motto in New York Harbor: that sums up with this:“Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Source: The Suffolk Times
