Listen(n) Project
The Challenge
Documenting the acoustic ecology of protected, pristine environments such as National Parks in order to develop new tools to track a measure climate impact from the sound recording database. The project also runs listening workshops and field recording workshops for the public.
The Approach
Monthly recordings are made at a number of sites in national parks in the SW, USA and tagged and made available online. These recordings are made by community members (citizen scientists) and members of the Listen(n) team. The listen(n) Team also runs listening workshops for the public as a way to engage the general public more deeply in these natural environments and help provide a sense of stewardship and agency in their care and in climate mitigation.
Findings and Impact
The project is ongoing — we have a groups of community volunteers and have presented concerts of nature sounds in Joshua Tree and in Aho (Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument) and continue to run listening workshops and field recording workshops. Members of the community report that the listening workshops give them a set of tools to engage more deeply in nature and observe change. They also state that this gives them a sense of stewardship associated with the environments in which they live.