A unit of Lasting Forests evolving since March 30, 1999
A Total Forest Management Plan and Wildland Management Decision Support System
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Soundscapes

Under development.

Soundscapes have recently (2003) been recognized as a resource needing protection and management. Like the loss of dark nights for studying the heavens, there is loss of quiet for studying the sounds of forests and the wilds. There are effects of noise on animal populations (recorded physiological stress levels (e.g., from snowmobile noise, urban noise and zoo animals). There are effects on humans in hearing loss and related accidents.

The Park Service (NPS) has focused a major effort on "soundscape management" and the restoration of "natural quiet" to the park system. The NPS defines natural quiet as "the natural ambient sound conditions found in the park." The NPS has also defined "natural quiet" as a resource rather than a value. The Park Service has used "natural quiet" as the basis for severely limiting public access to a number of national parks such as Isle Royale in Michigan, Biscayne in Florida, and all the units currently allowing snowmobiles or personal water craft.

Air tours of the national parks, most notably Grand Canyon, is another form of access being severely restricted by the NPS. In 1995, Special Federal Aviation Regulation 50-2 (SFAR 50-2) was issued, establishing minimum altitudes and flight-free zones of portions of the Grand Canyon. SFAR 50-2 was highly successful in reducing visitor complaints about noise from tour aircraft. Even though natural quiet was restored, President Clinton again directed the agencies to "restore" natural quiet in the Grand Canyon by 2008. Thus, on March 28, 2000, the FAA issued a new set of rules concerning overflights. These rules included the modification of the air tour routes, and expansion of Flight Free Zones, and a limitation of the total number of commercial air tours in the Flight Area.

As is so frequent in natural resource issues, implementing these regulations will severely restrict the air tour industry. It may not be able to provide this form of access to over 800,000 park visitors.(from James V. Hansen, committee chair, Member of Congress )

With basic equipment (suggested at about $300 -microphone, recorder, headphones), what you hear in the headphones is akin to the heightened vision you get with a magnifying glass or binoculars.

Management Techniques:

1. Restrict motorized vehicle use to areas and parts of lakes
2. Restrict time of use (especially early mornings and late evenings)
3. Require low noise equipment (e.g., non-metal garbage cans)
4. Enforce muffler regulations
5. Stress the stress resulting from noise
6. Emphasize the problems of hearing loss, especially of song birds calls
7. Conduct hearing tests as part of education, then compare change over time
8. Conduct experimental walks, with and without headphones or earplugs to block sound and allow comparisons
9. Produce and market CDs of sounds and soundscapes
10. Implement noise regulations related to airports
11. Develop the noise "footprint" as used with airport sound analyses and apply it to recreation sites, buildings and roadways.
12. Develop GIS maps of sound levels by time of day and season.
13. Post quiet zones.

Suggestions for projects and procedures:

• follow a soundscape through one season
• learn the differences in distinct faunal spaces
• follow a stream or a road (or transect) up a mountain
• make species speciific recordings
• compare habitats before and after major change (such as clearcutting)

References

Krause, Bernie Wild Soundscapes:Discovering the Voice of the Natural World

Turner, Jack. 1996. The Abstract wild, Univ Arizona Presss Schafer, R. M. 1993. The book of noise., Arcana Editions, Ontario, Canada

Mathieu, W.A. 1994. The musical life, Shambala Press,

Shepard, P. 1996. The Others: how animals make us human, Island Press.

Berendt, J. 1992. The third ear. Owl Books, Henry Holt and Co.

Schafer, R.M. 1993. The soundscape, (formerly Turning of the world), Inner traditions Intl. Ltd.

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This Web site is maintained by R. H. Giles, Jr.
Last revision January 17, 2000.