Noise impacts resources and visitor experience in many protected natural areas, and visitors can be the dominant source of noise. This experimental study tested the efficacy and acceptability of signs asking visitors to be quiet at Muir Woods National Monument, California. Signs declaring a “quiet zone” (at the park’s Cathedral Grove) or a “quiet day” (throughout the park) were posted on a randomized schedule that included control days (no signs). Visitor surveys were conducted to measure the cognitive and behavioral responses of visitors to the signs and test the acceptability of these management practices to visitors. Visitors were highly supportive of these management practices and reported that they consciously limited the amount of noise they produced. Sound level measurements showed substantial decreases on days when signs were posted.

1.
ANSI
(
2006
).
American National Standard S1.4-1983 (R2006) American National Standard Specification for Sound Level Meters
(
Acoustical Society of America
,
New York
).
2.
Driver
,
B.
,
Tinsley
,
E.
, and
Manfredo
,
M.
(
1991
). “
The paragraphs about leisure and recreation experience preference scales: Two inventories designed to assess the breadth of perceived psychological benefits of leisure
,” in
Benefits of Leisure
, edited by
B.
Driver
,
P.
Brown
, and
G.
Peterson
(
Venture
,
State College, PA
), 483 p., pp.
263
286
.
3.
Fahy
,
F.
(
2001
).
Foundations of Engineering Acoustics
(
Academic Press
,
London
),
443
p.
4.
Gramann
,
J.
(
1999
). “
The effect of mechanical noise and natural sound on visitor experiences in units of the National Park Service
,”
Soc. Sci. Res. Rev.
1
(
1
),
1
16
.
5.
Haas
,
G. E.
, and
Wakefield
,
T. J.
(
1998
).
National Parks and the American Public: A National Public Opinion Survey on the National Park System
(
National Park Conservation Association and Colorado State University
,
Washington, D.C., and Fort Collins, CO
).
6.
Hollenhorst
,
S.
, and
Gardner
,
L.
(
1994
). “
The indicator performance estimator approach to determining acceptable wilderness conditions
,”
Environ. Manage.
18
,
901
906
.
7.
Loomis
,
J.
(
2004
). “
How bison and elk populations impact park visitation: A comparison of results from a survey and a historic visitation regression model
,”
Soc. Nat. Resour.
17
(
10
),
941
949
.
8.
Manning
,
R.
(
1998
).
Report on Draft VIP Open House Focus Groups, Internal Report Prepared for the USDI National Park Service
(
Yosemite National Park
,
CA
).
9.
Manning
,
R.
(
1999
).
Studies in Outdoor Recreation
(
Oregon State University Press
,
Corvallis
),
374
p.
10.
Manning
,
R.
(
2001
). “
Visitor experience and resource protection: A framework for managing the carrying capacity of National Parks
,”
J. Park Rec. Adm.
19
,
93
108
.
11.
Manning
,
R.
(
2007
).
Parks and Carrying Capacity: Commons Without Tragedy
(
Island Press
,
Washington, D.C.
),
313
p.
12.
Manning
,
R.
,
Budruk
,
M.
,
Valliere
,
W.
, and
Hallo
,
J.
(
2005
).
Research to Support Visitor Management at Muir Woods National Monument and Muir Beach
(
University of Vermont
,
Park Studies Lab, Burlington, VT
),
318
p.
13.
McDonald
,
C.
,
Baumgartner
,
R.
, and
Iachan
,
R.
(
1995
).
National Park Service Aircraft Management Studies
, USDI Report No. 94-2 (
National Park Service
, Denver, CO).
14.
McCool
,
S.
, and
Christensen
,
N.
(
1996
). “
Alleviating congestion in parks and recreation areas through direct management of visitor behavior
,” in
Crowding and Congestion in the National Park System: Guidelines for Management and Research
(
University of Minnesota Agriculture Experiment Station Publication 86–1996
,
St. Paul, MN
), 144 p., pp.
67
83
.
15.
National Park Service
. (
1997
).
VERP: The Visitor Experience and Resource Protection (VERP) Framework—A Handbook for Planners and Managers
(
Denver Service Center
,
Denver, CO
),
103
p.
16.
National Park Service
. (
2000
). “
Director’s Order #47: Soundscape preservation and noise management
,” http://www.nps.gov/policy/DOrders/DOrder47.html (Last viewed April 16, 2009).
17.
National Park Service
. (
2006
).
Management Policies 2006
(
National Park Service
,
Washington, D.C.
)
169
p.
18.
Peterson
,
G.
, and
Lime
,
D.
(
1979
). “
People and their behavior: A challenge for recreation management
,”
J. For.
77
,
343
346
.
19.
Pilcher
,
E.
,
Newman
,
P.
, and
Manning
,
R.
(
2008
). “
Understanding and managing experiential aspects of soundscapes at Muir Woods National Monument
,”
Environ. Manage.
43
(
3
),
425
435
.
20.
Ruddell
,
E.
, and
Gramann
,
J.
(
1994
). “
Goal orientation, norms, and noise-induced conflict among recreation area users
,”
Leisure Sci.
16
(
2
),
93
104
.
You do not currently have access to this content.