Soundscape

Importance / Issues

Important to many parks because of its effects on visitor experiences (Gramman 1999). (At Badlands NP, 70% of visitors ranked “natural quiet” as very or extremely important; Simmons and Gramman 2001).

Data can be collected efficiently with automated equipment.

May be information rich in that data can track changes in wildlife such as birds and calling frogs (e.g., Corn et al. 2000).

Monitoring Parks :

All Parks

Preliminary Monitoring Objectives

1. Determine trends in natural and human-produced sounds.

Potential Measures

Decibels and identification of species

Expected Approach

Automated recorders

Protocol Development & Status

Started in collaboration with USGS-BRD using automated audio recording devices for monitoring frogs.

Status & Trends

Status and Trends will be posted once monitoring has begun.

Contact Information

Marcia Wilson
NPS Inventory & Monitoring Program
Northern Great Plains Network
231 East St. Joseph Street
Rapid City, SD 57701
Tel. (605) 341-2803
Fax (605) 341-2819
marcia_wilson@nps.gov