A Framework to Assess the Effects of Commercial Air Tour Noise on Wilderness.

Human-made noise in wilderness degrades the quality of wilderness by interfering with natural sounds-a key attribute of wilderness. Commercial air tour overflights are a noise source of particular concern to the US National Park Service. To characterize noise from air tours in wilderness, we developed an assessment framework to guide the decisionmaking process for maintaining or improving the soundscape conditions in wilderness. Decision points in the framework were based on management policy and best available science. The result is a "tier" designation for a wilderness area that defines the current soundscape conditions based on known air tour activity. To demonstrate the utility of the framework, we applied the method to Haleakalā Wilderness in Haleakalā National Park, Hawai'i. Whereas the framework presented specifically addresses air tour noise in wilderness and the concerns associated with impacts on wilderness character, the framework may be applicable to managing other noise sources in and near wilderness or other human activities that degrade wilderness qualities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]