It seems inevitable in summer. When we head out to the patio for dinner, to enjoy the evening air and quiet broken by chirping birds at the feeders, a neighbor seemingly sees it as a signal to cut his grass. The gutteral roar of his lawnmower carries well, and proves far more irritating than a mosquito's buzz in the ear.
During the day the mower's noise might have blended in with the rest of the background noise we create -- cars and trucks on the streets, weed-whackers, stereos, vacuum cleaners -- and not seemed obtrusive. But in the evening, a time many of us prize for relaxing and enjoying the day's end, a single mower can sound amplified.
Much the same can be said of noise in national park settings. In places such as Yellowstone, Glacier, Shenandoah, Great Smoky Mountains, Acadia, and Canyonlands, just to cite a few examples, we often expect the sounds of silence, or at least those of nature. But as I found out last year during a visit to Congaree National Park in South Carolina, society's background noises can intrude on these natural settings.
Now we're learning that there are at times unintended consequences of good deeds in national parks. For instance, efforts to reduce traffic by using shuttle buses can actually create a noisier environment, according to studies at Rocky Mountain National Park and elsewhere in the park system.
A study recently released by the Acoustical Society of America pointed to the shuttle buses in Rocky Mountain as just one example of noise generators in the park system.
A study in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, for example, revealed the aural consequences of reducing traffic congestion on park roads by adding shuttle buses to carry people to and from trailheads. The new shuttles succeeded in making trails accessible to a greater number of visitors. But each bus was also six times louder than a car; and the sounds of chatting hikers, backpack zippers, and gravel-crunching boots became concentrated at bus arrival times instead of being spread more evenly throughout the day. This good decision therefore had a negative effect on soundscape, shrinking the visitors’ “listening area,” or the distance around their heads at which they can still hear natural sounds.
To mute, so to speak, these sound generators, a Colorado State University researcher, Peter Newman, and colleagues are developing soundscape models that park staff can use to help predict how management actions -- such as bringing in a fleet of shuttle buses to reduce air pollution and traffic -- can affect the soundscape.
Such "soundscape maintenance," notes Professor Peterson (who worked for nearly two years as a ranger at Yosemite National Park), is beneficial not just to human visitors in the parks but to the resident wildlife as well.
“[Animals] want to know, ‘Where’s Bambi?’” Professor Newman explains in a release sent out by the Acoustical Society. “‘How far away do I have to be where [my young] can still hear me … or where I can hear that vole crawling beneath the surface of the leaves?’”
The studies Professor Newman's team conducted included surveys of park visitors to get their thoughts on noise levels in national parks. And they found that something as simple as signs denoting "quiet zones" were effective in getting visitors to keep the noise down.
Professor Newman is presenting the findings of his studies this week in Hong Kong at a joint meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, Acoustical Society of China, Western Pacific Acoustics Conference, and the Hong Kong Institute of Acoustics.
“This paper is about lessons learned,” says the professor. “Not only is noise important to people, but if we ask people to quiet down, they will.”
Comments
I agree about having electricity available to eliminate the need for generators. My wife and i love to RV, it's kept us seeing new things as we both can no longer backpack, but we detest the NOISE..battery power is all you need!
The loud mufflers on bikes are so you, a driver, will hear them and know they are there and not kill them because you didn't see them. Having had a dear family friend killed by a driver who didn't pay attention, I have zero problem with loud motorcycles. It's the jerks with the pickup trucks modified to sound like a jet taking off, belching black smoke out of the back, riding inches from your bumper because they think it's funny to scare people in small vehicles, that I can't stand!
Arrived at Yosemite in early May. Set up the tents, got out the camp kitchen supplies, and made dinner. Sat down to eat at the picnic table and the giant motor home next to us turned on generator. We were encompassed in exhaust and the gas fumes. We had one table to sit at that was chained to the ground so so we could not move it. I never thought of adding gasoline as a flavoring before. But I am glad the owner of the $200,000 moron-machine enjoyed the latest Survivor episode.
If you need a generator and electric lights (not to mention nonsense like tv, toasters, and video games) you need to stay home. To hear the wind, the birds, the watefalls, is the goal. Eat Nachos and watch the Daytona 500 at home. Perhaps we just prefer not choaking on fumes and listening to your generator so you can make toast.
RE: Claire
If you hope the dumb noise from a Harley Davidson or its imitators/competitors will allow a automobile driver to be better aware of the motorcycle operator, you are at risk. While making life more noisy and thus irritating for campers, pedestrians, and even people inside homes and other buildings, they are not that loud inside a modern automobile with the engine running. The best way to make yourself less-likely to be run over by an oblivious driver is to drive defensively (assuming every driver is trying to kill you), operate headlamps and driving lights 100% of the time, and wear high-visbility clothing items. Then do the rest of us a favor and get an after-market muffler system that actually muffles.
I can certainly relate. Several years ago while hiking to the "Window" in Big Bend Nat'l Park, a young man, obviously entitled, had his ipod/speaker system blasting along the trail. I first heard him coming up behind me (appx. 200 yds). So much for observing wildlife.
I too enjoy our national parks as others do who own tents, RV's or sleep under the stars. Owning an RV, like other forms of enjoying our national parks, I do run my gnerator to charge the batteries during a portion of genrator hours. While some campers enjoy smoky campfires that that fill the campgrund air day and night with choking stench, I prefer to head indoors to a smoke free environment. Whether it is playing music loud, smokey smoldering campfires fires, a camper lighting up the night sky with several lanterns, staying up late and cacking around the campfire, or children batting their baseball into the side of my RV, tolerance is needed by all. Whatever anyone is opposed to, if the varied activites they find in a national park to be too irritating, I suggest they just stay home. These are everyone's park to enjoy, how they are able to be enjoyed with the condiseration of others also using the park.
Surprisingly, most states have a law that requires motorcycles to have mufflers. Unfortunately, that law is not enforced. I live in a coastal town and the sound of Harley Davidson motorcycles with straight pipes/no mufflers is very disturbing. I also find it amazing that law enforcement and city ordinances do not allow loud music and thumping bass from cars, but allow motorcycles with loud exhaust and blaring music to traverse the steets and neighborhoods without issue. Certainly discriminatory.
Just came back from Yosemite Valley annual trip. I've been going since early 1950's. Campsite on last loop in Upper Pines and saw something that I had never seen. Neighbors on one side had a Hooka bar or whatever they call it. I saw this glowing green light and what looked like smoke coming out of it. My daughter had to explain to me what it was. Plus they partied until well pass midnight. On the other side was a group of young people. They played the guitar and sang,arguing, loud also well pass midnight. Before rangers would patrol the campgrounds at night, not anymore. So I think a lot of people trying to escape restrictions and masks in the city are camping because you can pretty much do what you and forget the rules. Campground rules mean nothing anymore. Plus there is no one enforcing rules.