As a lifelong outdoor recreationist, one thing I’ve never much considered when hiking in any of Utah’s National Parks is sound pollution. Unless you’re standing in a developed area within a park, all one would expect to hear is wind in the trees and birds singing. But apparently sound pollution is such a concern that Zion National Park launched the Soundscape Management Plan in March of 2010.
Well, their research is over, public comment was taken and considered, and they’ve drawn up the official Zion National Park Soundscape Management Plan that was recently signed by the National Park Service Regional Director.
So what does this mean for those of us who will be visiting Zion in the future? Not much, except we may get lots of polite reminders from park rangers to turn off cell phones, don’t yell or shout, and keep the kids quiet while inside the park.
After reading over the sound mitigation recommendations, there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot officials can do to keep noise to a minimum. Cars and people are loud and always will be. But by releasing this Soundscape Management Plan, the Park Service is at least asking us to be aware of how we act while inside a national park, and to realize that sound can be just as important as the sights to people’s overall experience.
The whole list of sound mitigation recommendations can be read in the Zion Soundscape Management Plan FONSI.
Otherwise, read the National Park Service’s press release below:
Zion Announces Approval of the Soundscape Management Plan
The Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Zion National Park Soundscape Management Plan was signed by the National Park Service Intermountain Regional Director on September 17, 2010.
The purpose of the Soundscape Management Plan is to protect and improve the soundscape at Zion National Park (ZNP). The 2001 ZNP General Management Plan (GMP) provided direction for the SMP with the identification of an overall desired condition for natural sounds at the park: Natural sounds predominate in ZNP. Visitors have opportunities throughout most of the park to experience natural sounds in an unimpaired condition. The sounds of civilization are generally confined to developed areas.
The SMP describes appropriate and inappropriate sound sources and how the sound sources can be mitigated to lessen their effects; provides soundscape management objectives that more specifically address how to achieve the desired condition outlines in the GMP; identifies soundscape indicators and standards to be use in monitoring; outlines monitoring approaches and protocols; and offers methods for modifying the SMP using an adaptive management approach.
One reason people come to National Parks is to be able to hear the sounds of nature – wind in the trees, water babbling over rocks, or the song of the canyon wren. Park management looks forward to working with federal, state and local agencies; the general public and park visitors in implementing this plan. Together we can protect the soundscape resource for present and future generations to enjoy.
For more information on soundscape protection and management visit the NPS website www.nature.nps.gov/naturalsounds. To obtain a copy of the FONSI or the SMP, visit the NPS planning website at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/zion.