Sound, a defining feature of our environment, tells the story of the world around us. The familiar hustle and bustle of city life, with its cacophony of vehicles, sirens, leaf blowers, and ringing phones, is a hallmark of urban living. While these city sounds may fade into the background for some, they can be an overwhelming intrusion for others.
In stark contrast, the wilderness offers a serene escape from this man-made symphony, allowing us to be serenaded by the gentle whispers of the wind and the harmonious melodies of wildlife.
The streetscape noise fades away once in the wilderness, but the skies overhead have become less quiet. The echo of aircraft propellers from cargo jets, military jets, commercial airliners, private recreational planes, and helicopters frequent the airspace day and night. Heli-hiking trips, where tour companies transport hikers from their hotel to remote wilderness areas for a day hike, are popular in national parks and wilderness areas.
Wildlife Impacts
Humans have encroached upon every open space, and the resulting clamor from the influx of visitors, ranging from crowded tour buses to the whirring blades of helicopter tours, means that protected wildlife in many U.S. National Parks are constantly exposed to noise. This human-generated sound not only startles wildlife but also takes a toll on their health. While we can find respite from this noise with earplugs, animals have no escape from our cacophony. This underscores the urgent need for conservation efforts to mitigate the impact of noise pollution on wildlife.
Quiet is not just beneficial for birds and animals, it is essential. It aids in their communication for attracting mates and assessing danger. Research shows that man-made noise disrupts the way animals communicate and hunt, which can have serious implications for their long-term survival and health. Each species has a unique hearing range for loudness and pitch, and they rely on this combination to communicate and reproduce. While we may not fully comprehend the extent of the impact, we do know that certain raptors, such as owls, which depend on their acute hearing to locate prey, are adversely affected by noise pollution.
What is Loud?
Sound is measured in decibels (dB). Audible sound starts at 0 dB (near silence). A sound 10 times more powerful is 10 dB. Subjected to 45 decibels of noise, the average person cannot sleep. To put 45 dB in perspective, that is equivalent to the sound of a refrigerator running. We no longer consider that to be loud.
At a distance of 2,000 ft (600 m), the noise of a jet takeoff reaches about 110 decibels—approximately the same as an automobile horn only 3 ft (1 m) away. Overhead military jets traveling 500 ft above your head are at least 120 dB. Considering decibels are logarithmic, and each 10 dB represents a doubling of sound, 120 dB is loud. Anything above 85 dB is enough to damage your hearing. [1]
Our Senses
Everything we experience about the world comes from our five external senses – sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Undoubtedly, our senses provide us with much information about the world. We tend to forget how much we rely on our senses until we become sick or lose one. Likewise, when we meet other people with a deficit in one of those senses, we are reminded of how precious our senses are. For instance, the extraordinary blind hiker, Mike Hanson, walked 1,700 miles of the AT in 2008. He programmed his GPS to provide precise voice navigation along the trail. When one sense goes awry, it’s impressive to see how some people can design methods to rely on their remaining senses to pick up the deficit.
Final Thoughts
The U.S. federal government owns 650 million acres, which is about 30% of the land in the country. Much of this land is designated for public recreation, allowing us to swim, hike, fish, and hunt. However, the land serves various other purposes as well. Large areas are often allocated for multiple uses by different government agencies, such as the military. This is why many wilderness areas are located near military bases. I suppose it’s a small price to pay for the freedom to explore.
This article was inspired after Outdoor Herbivore took a hike on the Neusiok Trail, a portion of the Mountains-To-Sea trail in the Croatan Forest near the North Carolina coast. The white sandy beaches, the waves crashing on your toes, the swamps and small lakes, the wooden bridges, and the occasional snake slivering past your feet are not to be missed. But, expect noise! From 7:30 AM to 9:30 PM, there is low traveling military air traffic practicing runs from the nearby Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station every few minutes. This would not be a problem if the runway were further away from the trail, so the planes traveled at a higher elevation. However, they fly low in the sky – approximately 500 feet to 2,000 feet above the ground. We didn’t expect to watch planes instead of wildlife, but that is what we got. So we just enjoyed the show.
Once nightfall settled in, the only escape from the planes roaring in the sky was earplugs.
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[1] From noise pollution
One thought on “Seeking Silence in Wild Spaces? Not Necessarily!”
This is so true, and so sad… I use earplugs all the time, and I can’t sleep without them anymore. Right now, it’s the loud screams of my spoiled nephew, that goes literally from morning to late at night. And in the wild, not even in the late evening there’s that amazing peace anymore: humans are everywhere, no matter how far you go to stay away from them.