Modeling the exposure of greater sage‐grouse to noise from industrial gas drilling rigs.

Natural gas and methane extraction is a growing industry in Wyoming, and some greater sage‐grouse leks appear to be declining in areas near industrial sites. The goal of this project is to develop a model for understanding whether industrial noise has played a significant role in these reductions in lek attendance. A software package called NMSIM, previously developed by Wylie Laboratories to measure noise exposure from aircraft for the National Park Service, is being used. NMSIM utilizes amplitude measurements, recorded a set distance from the noise source, topographic map data, and measurements of other factors affecting sound propagation such as temperature and humidity, to build a spatially explicit model simulating how noise from the industrial sites propagates over the surrounding terrain. Simulation results are then verified using a set of noise exposure measurements taken from known locations around the gas drilling rigs. In addition to explaining historic lek attendance patterns, this model will also be used to predict how noise from new industrial sites will impact nearby greater sage‐grouse leks.