The joy of listening to the symphony of nature can be experienced in many of our national parks. The following videos profile a variety of park sounds, and the work of the National Park Service in restoring, maintaining and protecting acoustic environments. Through an increased understanding of our work, we hope to inspire public appreciation of the value and character of undiminished soundscapes.
For a complete listing of videos that raise awareness about natural sounds as well as night skies, visit the Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division YouTube website.
In this video, NPS scientists discuss what audio recordings of forest sounds reveal about biodiversity in areas impacted by fire within Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks.
Viewers experience a spectrum of natural sounds in this introduction to soundscapes by scientists and planners with the Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division of the National Park Service.
Data Collection – Part 2
Overview of the acoustic research and field work involved in data collection by scientists in the Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division of the National Park Service.
Park Planning – Part 3
Introduction to the importance of strategic plans and policy in supporting the preservation of natural soundscapes in our national parks.
Analyzing Impacts - Part 4
Introduction to the role of data analysis in monitoring sounds across the national parks
Run on lithium-ion batteries, the all electric Sun Flyer aircraft—a two-seater prototype developed by Aero Electric Aircraft Corp and CEO George Bye—is super clean with zero emissions, and super quiet compared to its noisy, combustible cousins. This bodes well for national parks, where hundreds of thousands of air tours take place each year. Quiet flights over parks are better for humans as well as wildlife.
In June 2014, 19 students gathered at the Grand Canyon. Half of them were sighted, and the rest were either blind or visually impaired. Through a collaboration between the NPS Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division, No Barriers Youth, Grand Canyon Youth, and Grand Canyon National Park, these teens hoped to learn more about the canyon's incredible soundscape.
The Natural Sounds Program of the Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division works to protect, maintain, or restore acoustical environments throughout the National Park System.This video provides a broad overview of the acoustic research and field expertise of this team, and invites viewers to explore the wonder of natural sounds in their communities and national parks.
Professional songwriters Pops Walker and Kipyn Martin discover music in the natural sounds and landscapes of the Shenandoah Wilderness. Experience the lyricism of nature through the eyes and ears of these two musicians as they compose original works directly inspired by this untouched wild land.
If Wilderness Could Speak: Daniel J. Evans Wilderness
If the wilderness could speak, what would it say? Olympic National Park's Daniel J. Wilderness doesn't just speak...it sings! Enjoy the symphony of nature in one of the most acoustically diverse wilderness areas of the country as we follow the wilderness cry from the alpine region of the Olympic Mountains down through the canopies of the old growth forests and temperate rainforest into the raging waters of the wilderness Pacific coast. With 95% of its land a designated wilderness, Olympic National Park protects a unique and endangered resource: natural sound.
Last updated: April 28, 2020