Have you ever said “It’s so quiet and peaceful here” while visiting Anza-Borrego Desert State Park? But then paused and listened again, only to hear a dawn chorus from some of the three hundred species of birds in the park? There is a myriad of chirping insects, strong winds rushing through the canyons, and, at the right time of year, flowing water quenching the thirst of palm oases. Nature is noisy, but these sounds soothe the soul.
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the first public land classified as a Quiet Conservation Area and the natural soundscapes are a priority to its caretakers, including Anza-Borrego Foundation.
In line with our designation as a Dark Sky International Park, we are committed to preserving the land, its flora and fauna, and the sounds that come along with a natural landscape. The soundscapes are a precious resource to preserve, especially with a rise in noise pollution. To do this, we communicate the importance of quiet to park visitors. We host educational programs, such as quiet hikes and a Quiet Research Retreat, and we encourage visitors to respectfully visit the quietest and most remote areas of the park to experience profound quiet for themselves.
Anza-Borrego contains over 400,000 acres of Wilderness Areas, which encompass a majority of California’s State Wilderness. State Wilderness in California is a designation to protect large swaths of land from human influence. It is defined as:
“Areas where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man and where man himself is a visitor who does not remain. A State Wilderness [is] an area of relatively undeveloped state-owned or leased land which has retained its primeval character and influence or has been substantially restored to a near-natural appearance […].”
While the Wilderness Areas in Anza-Borrego are large and far from human development, they are accessible through five hundred miles of primitive roadways, and camping allowed almost anywhere in the park. Because of the remote nature of these sites, State Wilderness Areas are most often quiet and peaceful locations that allow for deep immersion in nature.
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is also designated an International Dark Sky Park, with the night skies protected to minimize the effects of light pollution from human activities. Light pollution can affect the natural behavior of wildlife and interrupt the beauty found in a dark night sky. By minimizing unnecessary and unnatural sources of light at night, the Park is creating a nighttime landscape less influenced by human activities.
Additionally, the Park protects thousands of acres of Cultural Preserve Zones, which are “culturally significant sites, buildings, or zones that represent significant places in the flow of human experience in California.” These include villages, ceremonial sites, and food collection and preparation areas important to two large Native American nations who lived in Anza-Borrego both year-round and as a wintering ground, the Cahuilla and Kumeyaay people.
As stated by those who oversee the protection of this valued resource, “[the] management of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park will be based upon the goal of preserving, instilling an appreciation for, and making available these treasured qualities and experiences for present and future generations.” We will work to protect the Park, including the land, soundscape, night sky, and cultural sites, so visitors “have outstanding opportunities for solitude” for many years to come.
