Canaveral National Seashore Audio Postcards

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The Young Sound Seekers Program
The Atlantic Center for the Arts has launched its Young Sound Seekers program, a five-year initiative made possible by a grant award from the National Park Service Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division. The program encourages the appreciation of natural sounds and will help overcome barriers to access by creating a safe, undistracted outdoor space for blind and partially sighted students ages 13-22. Valued partners include Canaveral National Seashore, Stetson University, the Conklin Davis Center for the Visually Impaired, and the Florida Department of Education Blind Services.

• Canaveral National Seashore Audio Postcard - History

  
  

  A listening journey through Canaveral National Seashore. Produced by the Young Sound Seekers, a partnership between the Center for Visually Impaired (Daytona Beach, FL), Atlantic Center for the Arts, and Stetson University, supported by the National Park Service Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division.

  Date created:

  12/15/2021

  Audio Transcript

  Several Voices: Today is January, December 2020. We're here at Turtle Mound. We're at Eldora. At Canaveral National Seashore. Speaker 2: Most people visit Canaveral National Seashore to enjoy the sounds of ocean waves or feel the impressive rumble of a rocket launch. But don't miss the history of this unique national park. Speaker 2: Rising 50 feet up between the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian River Lagoon is Turtle Mound, a protected archeological site composed of oyster shells discarded by early Native Americans in Florida. This is one of the jewels of Canaveral National Seashore. Speaker 3: If I could pick a favorite spot, I would choose Turtle Mound. Reason being the feeling of being on top of the world. They have an area over there that get the sea and overlook everything around you. So again, you get to hear the rustlings of the trees and the birds flying around. Speaker 4: I feel like the less you hear in property noise here with like the mechanical stuff, the more animals will come out, and more people will get to see more the features and species that we attain. Speaker 2: Further to the south, the wilderness community of Eldora was once a trading port along Mosquito Lagoon. The state house of Eldora is one of only three historic homes that still remain within the park boundaries. Sitting on the old time porch gives the impression of living in another time. Speaker 5: Why is sound important to us? Speaker 6: It's so we can hear what's going on. Like, if it's an important situation, like what's going to happen to us or something around us. Speaker 7: I say, sound is important because really you may see something and know how it works, but there may be a part that you're missing that you could hear. And, you know, it really identifies, puts more details. Speaker 2: On the west side of Indian River Lagoon, sits a historic home called Seminole Rest. As it catches the breeze from atop a Native American clam shell mound, this house is the perfect place to hear the tranquility of lagoon life. Speaker 2: Imagine how these sounds have changed over the years. What memories do you have of being in a place with wildlife and natural habitat? Speaker 8: My grandma and I, we went to a campground and we went kayaking in a place like Eldora. And that's the memory that I thought I thought of when I came. Speaker 2: At Canaveral National Seashore the opportunities to make new memories are endless. We have this moment, right now, to conserve natural sounds and protect the reason we love our national parks. Speaker 11: Natural history deserves to be protected. Speaker 2: Take a moment to listen to your surroundings. What do you hear and what should be protected? Speaker 2: This audio postcard was produced by the Young Sound Seekers Program, a partnership between the Center for Visually Impaired, Atlantic Center for the Arts, and Stetson University. Supported by the National Park Service, Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division.

• Canaveral National Seashore Audio Postcard - Water

  
  

  A listening journey through Canaveral National Seashore, produced by students of the Conklin Davis Center for the Visually Impaired and Stetson University.

  Date created:

  12/15/2021

  Audio Transcript

  Group: Today is January, December, 2020. We're here at Turtle Mound. We're at Eldora, at Canaveral National Seashore. Speaker 1: Water. Water can present itself in many ways, but how does it feel to you? Speaker 2: The water is quiet. Speaker 3: The water is calming and peaceful. Speaker 4: It makes me fall asleep. Background sound: Bloop, bloop, bloop, bloop, bloop. Speaker 5: Whoosh. Speaker 1: Water can be rhythmic. A steady pitter-patter of rain. Speaker 6: Music in your ear. Speaker 1: The pull and ebb of waves. Speaker 7: I like the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. Speaker 1: Petals lapping at their borders. Speaker 3: One of my favorites was the bubbling of the mangroves. Speaker 1: At Canaveral National Seashore, many animals rely on this resource for food, travel, and shelter. On a clear, sunny day, you might get the chance to see dolphins, spraying mist with their splashing tails. On quiet, moonlit nights, visitors can come to the park to see nesting loggerhead sea turtles. But there's many more unexpected creatures just below the surface of- Speaker 5: The ocean. Speaker 1: Let's take a dive. Speaker 8: What listening activity that we have done at Young Sound Seekers would you like others to try? Speaker 9: The hydrophone cause you got to hear what was underwater. You got to listen to something you can't really see. It was nice to hear the popping shrimp in there, just popping, whipping their tail. Speaker 2: Sounds like a crab snapping its claws. Speaker 9: Fishes passing by. Boats you could hear from a distance. It was nice. Speaker 1: Here at the Indian River Lagoon, more than 4,000 species of animals and plants thrive, all in under four feet of water. Long ago, the Timucua Native Americans prospered from the bountiful supply of oysters, shellfish, and muscles, leaving behind immense mountains of shells like the one at Turtle Mound. Within the diverse lagoon, you can hear the soothing sounds of chirping birds, the dashing fish, water rushing over the shells piled along the shore, and the many plants swaying in the wind. Speaker 1: Come to Canaveral to experience, to live, to protect, and listen. Speaker 10: This audio postcard was produced by the Young Sound Seekers program, a partnership between the Center for Visually Impaired, Atlantic Center for the Arts, and Stetson University, supported by the National Park Service Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division.

• Canaveral National Seashore Audio Postcard - Wellness

  
  

  The Young Sound Seekers program hosts students from the Conklin Davis Center for the Visually Impaired in Daytona Beach on monthly visits to Canaveral National Seashore, the local national park. Stetson University professors and students will lead a series of listening and field recording activities that teach the value of conserving the natural soundscape―for human wellness, as well as for wildlife communication.
  Audio Transcript

  Speaker 1: Today is- Speaker 2: January- Speaker 3: December- Speaker 4: 2020. Speaker 5: We're here at Turtle Mound. Speaker 6: We're at Eldora. Speaker 7: At Canaveral National Seashore. Speaker 8: Be it the birds, the waves, with the sound of a rocket launching, the Canaveral National Seashore makes you feel something. Speaker 9: You don't realize how small you are till you're up here. And it's like, "Oh wow! There's more to life than just me." Speaker 10: It takes you out of that thinking that I'm the center of the universe. Speaker 8: It's important to protect the Canaveral National Seashore, so we can continue to have a sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Speaker 11: I really understood, once I came to these parks for the first time, why they should be protected. It was very evident to me that there should not be houses built here. There should not be an airport built here because once you tear that stuff down, you've lost the home for all of these natural creatures. And it's very hard to get areas back to their original habitat, after you destroy them. Speaker 8: It's important to take time to incorporate wellness into your life. And the Canaveral National Seashore is maintained to help you do just that. Speaker 12: It's calming and relaxing and really soothes your nerves when you're stressful. It really just gives you a break from everything. Speaker 13: It takes you away from the stress of your everyday life. Speaker 8: The rushing waves provide calming natural sound for a picnic, and the sound of birds and rustling leaves makes you feel connected to nature. You can forget about whether you left the water running at home or not, and remember your ties to the environment. Speaker 14: What would you want to tell somebody who's never been here? Speaker 15: I would tell them to leave all their electronics but their phone at home and still mute your phone. So then you don't have as much anthrophony and you'll be focused on nature instead of your device. Speaker 11: Say you have your headphones in listening to music. You can see the trees moving and everything but you can't really pick up the rhythm and how it's moving, how it sounds and everything. You may be able to imagine it, but not the exact kind of sound that you're looking for. And that's what is just so calming. There's a little rhythm, it just goes along and it just makes you relax. Speaker 16: Of the wind and trees, listen to it, pay attention. Speaker 8: "I want to be the very best, like no one ever was." That's what Ash Ketchum said. And it's how The National Park Service feels about providing a beautiful place for people to come enjoy themselves and get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. So please come to our parks, enjoy the atmosphere and enjoy yourself because you deserve it. Speaker 17: This audio postcard was produced by The Young Sound Seekers Program, a partnership between the Center for Visually Impaired, Atlantic Center for the Arts, and Stetson University, supported by The National Park Service, Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division.