Honking horns009 Archivescatcalls getting you down? Not to worry, city dwellers — the National Park Foundation is here to help.
The National Park Foundation (NPF) has launched PARKTRACKS, an audio portal that lets visitors play a 12-minute-long track of sounds captured at national parks across the country. In honor of the National Parks Service's 102nd birthday, it's also hosting a pop-up listening event in Seattle on Friday and Saturday. But anyone can turn on, tune in, drop out — with nature — on the website.
SEE ALSO: The best places to stargaze around the world"We hope people will take a moment to pause, listen, and let their imaginations be captivated by the natural and cultural sounds of our national parks," Alanna Sobel, a National Park Foundation representative, told Mashable over email.
There is actually a whole division of the National Park Service that's devoted to capturing the more ephemeral features of nature: The Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division. That NPS department places microphones in national parks for a month at a time, capturing and analyzing audio from the likes of Yellowstone or the Hawaii Volcanoes. The Natural Sounds division has its own catalogue of sounds, organized by park and even animal, in a portal via Colorado State University.
But the track released Friday is more like the radio-ready remix of park sounds. It's a combination of birds chirping and squawking, rivers rushing, thunder, lightning, rain, and even the occasional human chant, captured from multiple parks and edited together into one soothing soundscape. It shows that nature doesn't mean silence — it means life.
"Nature is alive with sound," Sobel said. "People explore nature and parks for a variety of reasons, parks are very personal. Some go in seek of solitude, others go for recreation and movement. Some go to reconnect with our shared heritage, others go to experience a dark night sky. The National Park Foundation’s goal with PARKTRACKS is to bring parks to people through actual natural and cultural sounds."
A recent trip to the Pacific Northwest reminded me of how being in nature, surrounded by soft sound and dappled light, provides a warm feeling of calm, but also vigor, that I'd been missing from my urban life.
Listening to the NPF's track doesn't quite replicate the feeling of tranquil awe that being among trees, rivers, and the open sky provides. But if you shut your eyes and press play, the audio forces you to take a breath. It offers a glimpse at the natural world, in repose, and a reminder of your part in it.
Topics Music Nature
Best Soundcore by Anker Space A40 earbuds deal: Save $35 at Amazon
Chrissy Teigen kicks off 2019 with a viral moment, and yes, her eyeball is fine
We don't want to ruin your day, but Justin Bieber and Sofia Richie broke up
Nokia 9 and its five rear cameras appear in new video leak
Trump says he represents Pittsburgh, not Paris, but, um, well...
Queen rocker Brian May releases space song dedicated to Ultima Thule
This is what your 'Bandersnatch' ending says about you
Netflix releases viewership numbers for 'Bird Box', and they're huge
The 12 Best Games on the iPhone
'Game of Thrones' showrunner teases Jon Snow's Season 8 journey
Best vacuum deal: Get the Dyson V8 Plus cordless vacuum for $120 off
Chromebooks to become safer from hackers with 'USB Guard' feature
Joe Biden on terrorist attacks: 'We never bend, we never cower, we never yield'
Apple loses $57 billion in market value as its stock plunges
Best smart scale deal: Save over $25 on Renpho Smart Scale
Handmade jukebox plays music when you swipe a card
Resolutions for 2019 that the tech industry should really consider
The year in Internet Boyfriends, from Noah Centineo to Adam Rippon
Trump's foreign aid freeze halts funding for digital diplomacy bureau
Mom trying to get out of a baby photo gets a hilarious Photoshop battle
Banal Sentimentality; Tackling Tolstoy by Lorin SteinSlave trader statue gets replaced by sculpture of Black Lives Matter protesterWSJ report on user 'clusters' reveals how unsettling TikTok's data collection can beGetting in the Habit by Perrin DrummStaff Picks: Modernist Journals, France Gall by The Paris ReviewTikTok users create fake 'safety calls' to help protect each other IRLXi Chuan, Beijing by Matteo PericoliStaff Picks: Keith Haring’s Journals, ‘Library’ by The Paris ReviewSpotify takes down thousands of songs generated by AI startup BoomyStarve a Fever, Feed a Cold by Robin BellingerLiterary Dinners; Crumbling Apartments by Sadie SteinJames Shea’s “Haiku” by Sarah BraunsteinIvanka Trump sparks bean memes after she posed with can of Goya beansHeybaby is a new dating app for parents and people who want to be parentsStaff Picks: Murdock Pemberton, ‘The Last September’ by The Paris ReviewStaff Picks: ‘The Univited Guests,’ ‘Capital’ by The Paris Review'Guardian of the Galaxy Vol. 3's midThe test that Trump keeps bragging about acing isn't meant to be hardStaff Picks: ‘The Univited Guests,’ ‘Capital’ by The Paris ReviewHeybaby is a new dating app for parents and people who want to be parents Ariana Grande sets sexist trolls ablaze with 5 fire tweets 5 things left unsaid between us and our building's super in 2016 16 Photoshop battles that ruled 2016 Marine father gives his daughter a pride flag for Christmas, along with a beautiful surprise MashReads Podcast: Here are our favorite books of 2016 Carrie Fisher's literary legacy as shared by her fans Watch a Tesla predict a car crash 2 vehicles ahead 5 gutsy highlights from Carrie Fisher's one This horrible tale of a pantless plane passenger will leave you in tears Major train accident in India leaves several injured LG might be done with modular phones Here's how to spend NYE if you want to ring in 2017 twice From 'Sister Act' to 'Hook,' Carrie Fisher helped improve a bunch of movies Giant Trump Debbie Reynolds, Hollywood royalty and mother of Carrie Fisher, dies People are freaking out over this Instagram pic of Drake and J.Lo Parents share photos of their kids as Princess Leia in honor of Carrie Fisher There is no right way to mourn celebrities on the internet 5 customer complaints that escalated hilariously in 2016 Amazon filed patent for 'unmanned aerial vehicles' for delivery drones
2.7718s , 10138.125 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【2009 Archives】,Evergreen Information Network