Sacred Hoh EV2 Photogravure

Through this image’s vibrancy and depth of ink, I try to relate the experience of standing in the arms of this sacred place, Hoh Forest. There was such quiet. Peace. Moss and growth thicker than I have ever seen, majestic ancient trees filtering the light, the occasional sound of the river nearby – and every shade of green ever imaginable. The green glowed as if God had an emerald lens filter in front of the sun. You feel the clean air.

The trails are natural routes from the elk that are part of this eco system. There are halls of moss, and you begin to believe in fairies.

This protected area, once reverent for the quiet, is now being invaded by noise. Not only from the record number of people visiting parks, but the noise pollution that lurks from above.

Here is a direct link to the article below from the National Parks Conservation Association:

Two centuries ago, expanses of coastal temperate rainforests stretched from northern California to southern Alaska. Today, only about 4 percent of the California redwoods remain, while in Oregon and Washington, the forests are less than 10 percent of what they once were. Still, even in a degraded state, this eco-region, including British Columbia and Alaska, contains more than a quarter of the world’s remaining coastal temperate rainforest.

In the era of climate change, this matters, because the Pacific coastal rainforest is so productive that it has a much higher biomass than comparable areas of any tropical rainforest. In translation: The Pacific rainforests store an impressive amount of carbon in their wood and soil and so contribute to keeping the climate cool. However, when that wood goes up in flames, as it has recently, it releases the stored carbon into the atmosphere at a rapid rate.

Annual rainfall is measured not in inches but in feet, and it’s the wettest place in the continental United States. There you will find living giants: a Sitka spruce more than 1,000 years old; Douglas fir more than 300 feet tall; mountain hemlock at 150 feet; yellow cedars that are nearly 12 feet in diameter; and a Western red cedar whose circumference is more than 60 feet.

Seattle, WA – The US Navy’s own analysis into the noise pollution caused by military jets on training exercises over Olympic National Park has found that the sound of jets flying overhead can be as loud as the sound of a handheld drill for visitors within the park.

The analysis, revealed as part of the Navy’s 2020 final supplemental environmental impact statement, finds that the maximum noise levels heard on the ground are between 81.5 decibels (dBA) and 100.6dB. These noise levels are roughly equivalent to a garbage disposal (80dbA) and a handheld drill (100dbA).

Noise above 70 dB over a prolonged period of time can damage hearing. More than 2,200 Growler flights take place each year over Olympic national park, an average of six a day. The Navy currently plans to increase the number of Growler training flights that take place over the park.

Rob Smith, northwest regional director at the National Parks Conservation Association, said:

Hoh Rain Forest is known as the ‘quietest place in the US’ by sound experts. But now, the Navy admits flights operating over the Peninsula are as loud as a garbage disposal or handheld drill on the ground. Noise pollution level at Hoh Visitor Center is equivalent of a refrigerator or dishwasher. 4,400+ Growler flights take place each year over Olympic national park, almost 12 per day.