Most of us have had the experience of finding a moment of silence – with a cup of tea, before the kids woke up, or on a camping trip – and heaved a sigh of relief. You may have noticed the birds chirping or heard the breeze gently blowing. What you’ve noticed is the absence of human-generated noise.
In the wilderness, soundscapes are created by a naturally functioning landscape, which is not the equivalent of complete silence. Nature is noisy, but the sounds of the ecosystem soothe the soul and connect us to the earth. Additionally, noise pollution (or the lack thereof) is critically important to wildlife. By understanding the noise in a region, we gain an understanding of the health of the ecosystems.
In March of 2022, Matt Mikkelsen, the Executive Director of Wilderness Quiet Parks, a subdivision of Quiet Parks International, set out to understand the soundscapes of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Matt and his team sought to record and listen to the sounds in the Park and ultimately determine whether it qualified under the Quiet Parks International Assessment Criteria for being a Wilderness Quiet Park.
To accomplish this, Matt and his team traveled to four different locations within the Park on four different days. They had their equipment set up and ready to record before the sunrise and dawn chorus, as early as four in the morning. After recording several hours of soundscape for each location, the team returned to their studio to assess what they’d captured. They repeated this the following year and compared data.
While Matt had hoped to name the Park a Wilderness Quiet Park, there are several sources of human-generated noise that disqualify the Park from the current assessment criteria.
However, they wish to continue working with the Park and Anza-Borrego Foundation to find other ways of recognizing, protecting, and uplifting the beautiful soundscapes here. One such way is naming Anza-Borrego Desert State Park as a quiet conservation area.
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the first public land to be classified as a Quiet Conservation Area, and the preservation of natural soundscapes is a top priority for both Park and Foundation staff.
Along with our designation as a Dark Sky International Park, we are committed to preserving the land, its flora and fauna, and the sounds that accompany a natural landscape.
To achieve this, we communicate the importance of quiet with our constituents and Park visitors. For example, Leave No Trace principles can be applied to the noise we make in the Park.
We also organize educational programs, such as quiet hikes and a Quiet Research Retreat, and encourage Park users to prepare for and respectfully visit the quietest and most remote areas of the Park to experience profound quiet for themselves.
Deep quiet can be found in the Park, most consistently in the State Wilderness Areas.
Your role in this preservation is crucial. Becoming a member helps us protect and preserve the Park we love. Hiking and camping mindfully, and quietly, enhances the wildlife habitats in the Park as well.
Listen to the soundscape recordings from Wilderness Parks International below. We hope they’ll provide a moment of peace, and a connection to the Park, even amidst your busy day! And if you’d like to reach Matt, you can email him at [email protected].
