Ecologist finds quiet spot in park and hopes to expand on it
OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK -- Reclining against the trunk of a Western hemlock, arms behind his head, Gordon Hempton listens closely to the quiet symphony of nature.
The rumble of the Hoh River in the distance. A winter wren's trill. The chattering of a Douglas squirrel.
Perhaps more striking is what's missing. There is no sound of airplane traffic, campground generators or overchatty hikers -- all sounds that Hempton says are disturbing the peace at national parks across the country.
The abundance of quiet in this small spot led Hempton to place a small reddish-brown rock on a moss-covered log here last year, designating the remote spot in Western Washington's Hoh Rain Forest "One Square Inch of Silence."
The acoustic ecologist's hope is that by protecting this tiny spot from human sound, a much larger part of the park will reap benefits.
"Quiet is going extinct," Hempton said. "I wanted to find a quiet place and hang on to it and protect it."
National park officials like the concept.
"We're certainly aware of the need to take whatever measures we can to maintain the natural quiet," said park Superintendent Bill Laitner, who hiked to the spot with Hempton earlier this year. "We are so strapped for resources that there's just no way we can ... do this kind of research on our own."
Continue reading this article from the Seattle P-I:
Ecologist finds quiet spot in park and hopes to expand on it
