Dr. Bernie Krause of Wild Sanctuary in Grand Teton National Park.
The natural soundscape of the Tetons is its unique voice. No other place on earth sounds quite like the various habitats that make up those of the Tetons. The biological soundscapes within these Teton biomes feature powerful narratives that we are just beginning to understand. Help us create a crucial soundscape of Jackson Hole’s wild nature and wildlife by donating to this project at the 1% for the Tetons website.
The project will include calibrated base-line recorded samples of biophonies (natural soundscapes) throughout the Tetons watershed and a breakdown of the data for analysis and further study. As evidence of the potential scientific benefit of this effort, a soundscape recorded recently at a pond just a dozen miles from the Murie Center in Moose, Wyoming may have included a Wyoming toad presumed to be extinct in the wild. If it is not a Wyoming toad, it may be a Canadian toad 300 miles south of its southern most range, or it could be a recording of a new species of toad. You can hear a recording of the toad here. The toad enters the soundscape seven seconds into the recording.
Dr. Krause has traveled worldwide recording and archiving the sounds of creatures and environments large and small. In 2006, under the auspices of The Murie Center, he led three teams to capture the first natural soundscape examples ever recorded in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Dr. Krause was a key figure in implementing natural soundscapes as a resource for the National Park Service and has authored the educational manual for the NPS that resulted in his current book/CD, Wild Soundscapes: Discovering the Voice of Natural World (Wilderness Press, 2002).
For more information about soundscapes, contact Dr. Bernie Krause of Wild Sanctuary at chirp@wildsanctuary.com or visit www.wildsanctuary.com.
Learn more about the Soundscapes of the Tetons project at the project page, where you can watch a 5-minute video and download the project application.
Tags: Bernie Krausse, Grand Teton National Park, Murie Center, Soundscapes of the Tetons, Wild Sanctuary, Wild Soundscapes, Wyoming Toad
