Lighting will have significant impacts on wildlife Golden Gate Audubon Society “The project proposal and analysis set forth in the EIR does not adequately describe the extent of light pollution that would occur from the new sports field lighting, nor does it take into account the exacerbating effects of the unique weather conditions on the western side of San Francisco and the project site’s location 450 feet from the beach . . “

EIR severely underestimates increased illumination Golden Gate Audubon Society Assuming 20% reflectance from the surface “The project proposal and analysis set forth in the EIR does not adequately describe the extent of light pollution that would occur from the new sports field lighting, nor does it take into account the exacerbating effects of the unique weather conditions on the western side of San Francisco and the project site’s location 450 feet from the beach . . “ And this does not account for light that directly illuminates surrounding woodland habitat Proposed sports field lights Existing Great Highway streetlights

EIR severely underestimates increased illumination EIR does not account for unique weather of SF Golden Gate Audubon Society EIR severely underestimates increased illumination Fog and moisture additionally scatter light Marine cloud layer reflect light back toward ground and surrounding area Fog is present in SF more than 100 days a year, and fog or low marine layer are even more prevalent in the western end of the city. Much more than 20% of reflected light escapes Fog increases night glow up to 6 fold, and clouds up to 4 fold.

Lights at the Beach Chalet Will Be Visible from Space 5-6 times more light reflected upward from soccer fields than from the Great Highway “The Beach Chalet project would be a significant new addition to light on the western end of the park and would be visible from space.” (Longcore & Rich 2013)

The Project would create a luminous dome of light… Golden Gate Audubon Society “ . . . the proposed project would create a luminous dome of bright white light where it is currently darker than the surrounding city. This dome, especially under foggy conditions (which occur at least one third of the year), would be the defining visual feature of the nighttime environment in the National Park to the west, and would increase ambient illumination over a wide area to levels that are ecologically disruptive.” Longcore/Rich letter to CCC, March 26. 2013

“[The Beach Chalet EIR] discounts potential impacts to biological resources . . .” “ . . . [The Beach Chalet EIR] improperly discounts the potential impacts to biological resources including nesting birds in the park, migratory birds, seabirds, shorebirds, bats, and any other species currently living in the vicinity of the sports fields. . .” Longcore/Rich letter to CCC, March 26. 2013 Sports fields are the second Photo © 2012, Joseph Moss,

Artificial turf will destroy important habitat Golden Gate Audubon Society

Golden Gate Audubon Society 64 Bird Species Have Been Observed Using the Site by Just One Volunteer Golden Gate Audubon Society Canada Goose Turkey Vulture Osprey Cooper's Hawk Sharp-shinned Hawk Red-tailed Hawk * Red-shouldered Hawk * Peregrine Falcon Merlin Mew Gull Ring-billed Gull California Gull Western Gull Glaucous-winged Gull Mourning Dove* Rock Pigeon Anna's Hummingbird* Allen's Hummingbird* Say's Phoebe Black Phoebe* Pac-slope Flycatcher Olive-sided Flycatcher Northern Flicker Downy Woodpecker* Hairy Woodpecker* Hutton's Vireo* Warbling Vireo Common Raven* American Crow* Western Scrub Jay* Steller's Jay* Barn Swallow * Tree Swallow Violet-green Swallow Pygmy Nuthatch * Northern Mockingbird * Gray Catbird x Ruby-crowned Kinglet Bushtit* Chestnut-backed Chickadee * Cedar Waxwing Hermit Thrush American Robin * Orange-crowned Warbler Townsend's Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Palm Warbler x Northern Waterthrush x California Towhee * Fox Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow * Golden-crowned Sparrow Clay-colored Sparrow x Song Sparrow * Lincoln's Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco * Black-headed Grosbeak Western Tanager House Finch * Purple Finch American Goldfinch * Lesser Goldfinch Killdeer European Starling Brewer's Blackbird * Red-winged Blackbird Brown-headed Cowbird (*= likely breeding in or near the athletic fields; x= rare or uncommon migrant) Additional species have been observed, including shorebirds during big storm events at Ocean Beach

The Project Will Affect Snowy Plovers and Other Wildlife Species Golden Gate Audubon Society Recorded observations of the federally-listed threatened Snowy Plover (above) and Red-shouldered Hawk (right) at and around the project site. (Source: eBird; from Longcore & Rich 2013)

“A cursory review of eBird data reveals the presence of Western Snowy Plover quite close to the project site. . . . The proposed project would significantly increase the ambient illumination on the beach that is used by this threatened species, which could have adverse impacts by increasing predation.” Longcore/Rich letter to CCC, March 26. 2013 Snowy plover habitat just 450ft from the fields

Increased lighting will Downy Woodpecker, Red-tailed Hawk, Great-horned Owl [c] Walter Kindutu. Dark-eyed Junco [c] Steven Streit

The Project conflicts with the California Coastal Act Golden Gate Audubon Society The Project, as proposed diminishes the coastal values Will harm wildlife and habitat Reduce aesthetic value of the site Impose consequences on surrounding coastal areas Viable alternatives exist, and have been recommended: Fields can be improved with safer, cleaner natural grass Costly, wasteful, and pollution-causing lighting is not necessary