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On The Wild Side

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Noise Pollution

by Christine Maccabee

It is hard to believe that Charles Lindbergh, who made the first transatlantic flight in his plane in 1927, would say such a thing as in the above quote, but he did. Upon retirement, he and his wife, Anne, started a foundation that gave grants to persons who were working to “improve the quality of life through a balance between technology and nature,” discerning nature’s essential wisdom so as to “balance technological power with reverence for life.”

Through the Lindbergh Foundation, Gordon Hempton, author of the book One Square Inch of Silence, applied for and was given a grant in 1989 to explore and understand the problems with excessive noise, as well as the beauty of natural sounds. His mission was to cross the country in his old VW bus, starting in Washington State and ending at the nation’s capital to deliver his proposal to reduce sound pollution in national and state parks. Armed with his recording equipment and a decibel-measuring sound level meter, he preserved soul-soothing natural soundscapes, as well as the ever rising din of man-made noises.

I, too, have problems with mechanical noises, not necessarily as an ecological issue, but as a personal one. As I am getting older, my intolerance for traffic noise, loud music, and mowers has increased. However, as I reflect on my life, I realize that I have always had problems with loud noises. Sometimes, I think I am more bird than human! I love the songs of birds and have recorded many of them with my pencil on staff-lined paper, bits and pieces of exquisite notes, raw material for the creation of enchanting music on the piano.

Everyone loves birds, I am sure, but where loud noises are present, their mating calls can be disturbed and may never be heard by a potential mate. Noise also impacts young children, as I witnessed at an indoor concert, where the music was even too loud for me. The young children were fussy, even crying, but when the music stopped, they became peaceful and happy. That’s how I feel when I get back home after a long road trip or an open mic, where the twang of amplified steel strings and strident voices practically chase me out of the room.

Natural sounds are indeed soothing, even healing, as many of us know. In my research, anything above 120 decibels can be very painful, even harmful. A chainsaw can get as high as 85 decibels, depending on how close you are, and a large mower, though not as loud, can adversely affect a person who is just trying to quietly enjoy working in their gardens. A brief 20-30 minutes of mowing is one thing, but 3-4 hours is another. Those days, as the mowers drone on where I live, I stay in my well-insulated home, even though I would rather be outside. When the mowers stop, my entire body stops vibrating and I feel a physical drop in anxiety.

Some people have no problem at all with such noise. I suppose it depends on your disposition and your ability to ignore noise, but I just cannot. Having really good hearing can be a curse at such times. Also, a love of natural sounds and quiet are like food for my soul.

Gordon Hempton had great success reaching his goal of presenting Congress with his proposal to the National Park Service. I only hope legislators continue to take the noise issue to heart. There is a sign in the Rocky Mountain National Park that reads:

“The call of an owl,

The music of a flowing stream,

  The hush of a winter forest…

  Nature’s sounds and natural

quiet are just as rare as the

native plants and animals of

this park.”

Early June, out here in the Catoctin mountains where I live, there will be a couple Saturdays for people to come and just stop, look, and listen. Give me a shout if you are interested in visiting my nature sanctuary. I welcome any people willing to be quiet for a spell and learn about critically important plants as habitat for wildlife.

Meantime, I hope you find the quiet you need where you live. Sometimes, that even means turning off the TV and radio! Seek quiet time, soul-soothing time, as a gift to yourself.

On The Wild Side

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Christine Schoene Maccabee

Nature’s  Quietude

I live in a valley cradled between the ancient rolling mountains, just north of Thurmont. This area is a perfect habitat for many species of frogs, toads, birds, and mammals, and I feel blessed to live here. Even though I am a musician, the best and most soothing music for me is the sound of peepers in the spring, crickets and katydids, and bird songs all around me in every season. The other day, after pulling up to the front of my home after a long day in Frederick, I turned off the noisy engine of my car, opened the door, and was greeted by the sweet, melodious song of a bird in the pine trees. Instantly, my whole body relaxed and I was happy.  There is nothing more gratifying for me than this—and nothing more healing.

Many famous writers have expressed the need we all have for such quiet times, away from the noise of churning engines and demanding electronic sounds of telephones, TVs, leaf blowers and, well, you name it. However, when I say it is a need we all have, I do not mean just human need. It has now been scientifically documented that wild birds need quiet to find mates and to defend territories. According to the National Park Service’s own studies, there has been a detrimental impact on red-tailed hawks, spotted owls, elk, caribou, mountain goats, and many other forms of wildlife due to plane overflies and the use of intrusive all-terrain vehicles.

Even Charles Lindbergh, famous for being the first pilot to fly across the Atlantic, expressed concern when he said, “I would rather have birds than airplanes.” Impressive. That reminds me of Albert Einstein’s letter to President Roosevelt, stating that if he had known what harm atom bombs could do, he would never have recommended that they be manufactured. Perhaps it is not so wise for humans to run with every invention they come up with; although, progress must go on at any cost—or so “they” say. Question is: Are we building a literal tower of Babel for ourselves?

“The day will come when man will have to fight noise as inexorably as cholera and the plague,” said the Noble prize-winning bacteriologist, Robert Koch, in 1905. Heavy duty and prophetic.

Today, “the rate of quiet places extinction vastly exceeds the rate of species extinction,” said Gordon Hempton in his book One Square Inch of Silence. Mr. Hempton, an acoustic ecologist and lover of quiet, went from coast to coast trying to find wild places devoid of human sound, winding up in the halls of Congress to make a case for less noise in our national parks. Because of his dedication, legislation was passed in 1987 to reduce air traffic over the Grand Canyon. 

Let me return to the simple truth of my own life when I say that not only do I love nature’s music better than most songs on the radio, but I direly need nature’s quietude to survive, literally. I do not do well, physically or emotionally, with a lot of technological speed and clamor; though like everyone, I have no choice but to live with it the best I can. Many people seem to have no problem adapting to noise, although it may affect them more than they know. I honestly am not in judgment of some types of technology or people who love the sounds associated with it. I am simply acknowledging how it affects me and the natural world that I love so dearly.

So, I limit my trips to town in the car, I leave the house when my son’s music gets too loud, and I listen to bird songs. I suppose because I am a musician, I am particularly attuned to beautiful bird songs. Over the last couple of years, I have written many of them down on staff paper—in the very keys the birds sing them! Some early morning bird songs are in the keys of D flat minor, D flat major, and F major. By evening, the songs slow down, and one particularly poignant melody I heard sounded more like a sigh than a song—done in the key of C minor. Its beauty astounded me, and I feel profoundly blessed to have heard it.

I have a challenge for you. On some clear day, no matter the season, hike into the Catoctin Mountains alone or with a comrade of similar interest. Do little or no talking, and once you are as far away from human noise as you can get, hold your breath, for breathing makes sound. Listen for the natural sounds of leaves fluttering in the wind, or bird calls, or perhaps, if you are lucky, you will hear the profound sound of total silence…of no sound!

Mostly, I hope you can find some peace and quiet wherever and whenever you can. This long cold winter, see if you can hear the sound of snowflakes falling. And if you are suffering from anxiety, just take a deep breath and know that quiet is quieting, and now and then “God speaks to us in whispers.”