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Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division

acoustics citizen engagement light pollution monitoring noise participation protected areas sensors

The Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division of the National Park Service (USA) provides assistance to conservation authorities in collecting baseline data for ambient acoustic and night sky quality in National Forests across the United States. The agency helps those groups in identifying source specific noise /light impacts and devising solutions to reduce, mitigate or prevent anthropogenic noise. Case examples associated with the Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division include Denali National Park, Noatak National Reserve, and Glacier Bay National Park.

Fort Collins, Colorado, United States

Listening Lab

UPS-NightSkies_Sounds
Jacob Job recording in a forest at Wild Basin, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Image source: Jacob Job, National Park Service [image]. Retrieved 22 June 2022, from https://www.nps.gov/articles/deeplisteningbringsrewards.htm

The Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division is partnered with the Sound and Light Ecology Team at Colorado State University. Student researchers at the Listening Lab have analysed thousands of hours of acoustic data from US national parks to identify noise pollution to inform park management, and to develop research projects on sound and particular species. Members of the Sound and Light Ecology Team have also compiled sound libraries from national parks, and developed the Sounds of Your Park initiative gathering field recordings from national parks and protected areas globally.

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