Photo credit: David Selbert
by Arline L. Bronzaft, Ph.D., Board of Directors, GrowNYC, Co-founder, The Quiet Coalition, and Honorary Chair, Quiet American Skies
High Country News, a magazine that focuses on issues in the American West, recently covered research that shows that forest animals can be negatively impacted by noise. The new study, underway in Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest, is meant to explore these negative responses in a more controlled manner. The study was prompted by other research showing that animals in the woods react negatively to noises and most of that noise is associated with humans doing things like mountain biking and skiing.
Mark Ditmer, a research ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station and one of the study’s co-leaders, believes this type of research can provide a more accurate account of noise intrusions on forest animals.
Ditmer and his associate Kathy Zeller recorded biking and hiking sounds in areas of the woods removed from heavily-trafficked areas. They then set up cameras to detect animals in the area. Whenever a camera detected an animal, a boombox played the recorded sound bites and the animal responses were recorded. Zeller noted that animals may hear humans and their accompanying sounds before the animals see humans, making this study and similar studies more critical.
While Ditmer realizes that some animals may become accustomed to human behavior, other animals may not and these types of studies are essential to get a better understanding of how humans and their noises may negatively affect animals in the woods.
