Listening to the Landscape: community responses to oil and gas noise
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Listening to the Landscape: Cultivating respect and consideration for animal and human experience of the sounds of oil and gas development Jim Cummings Acoustic Ecology Institute Santa Fe, New Mexico
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This plenary presentation at the Alberta oil and gas industry 2007 Spring Noise Conference was clearly out of the ordinary, but got a good response (including an invite to return in 2009). While Alberta has strong noise regs, the presentation addressed the fact that when industrial noise is the loudest component in a quiet soundscape, neighbors ' experiences need to be considered--reliance on dB-level limits is not enough. A key part of the presentation looks at the evolution of the rural soundscape over the past three generations, the changing nature and context of human-made sound, and the natural changes in people's reactions to these changing noise sources.
Transcript of Listening to the Landscape: community responses to oil and gas noise
Listening to the Landscape:
Cultivating respect and consideration for animal and
human experience of the sounds of oil and gas development
Jim Cummings Acoustic Ecology Institute Santa Fe, New Mexico
Oil and gas presence in Alberta is expanding
inexorably
As footprint expands, noise becomes a trigger
point
As footprint expands, noise becomes a trigger
point
Changing soundscapes ➟ friction & resistance
Respect and consideration are the foundation for
right action
Industry and regulators can shift the dynamic of
tension & mistrust
Oil and gas presence in Alberta will continue to
expand
Recent developments
CBM
Oil Sands
Continued NG
Noise Directive 038
This week’s experience
The bigger picture
Not just numbers
Real people
Human nourishment
As footprint expands, noise becomes a trigger
point
Rich habitats
Impacts of noise on wildlife
Acoustic Nichessubtle, distant sounds
Masking
Avoidance/Stress
Acoustic Habitat
Human responses
Appreciate
Tolerate
Resistance
Questions arise
“I ruminate now over whether I am being a good steward of the
land”
Irritants
Compressors
Feeling unheard/ignored
Loss of peace at home
“I don’t have all the city amenities,
but I had quiet, space, and peace. Now I don’t have that.”
Historic progression of human noises in soundscape
Open space of frontier
Mechanization
Urbanization/highways/railroads
What is different now?Noise unrelated to daily
lives
Constancy of some noise
Industrialization of rural landscape
Caring for the landscape
Agency/Industry Response
Best practices
Communicationswith public
Cumulative impacts
Questions of balance
Shared valuesRespect and Consideration
Community
Consideration of landscape-scale ecological
needs
Consideration of landscape-scale ecological
needs
Going beyond in some areas pays large dividends for easier access elsewhere
Going beyond in some areas pays large dividends for easier access elsewhere
What are we talking about?
Listening as a resident
Listening as a resident
Local Soundmarks
Wildlife impacts
Reduce tension,increase opportunities
Landscape left whole
Landscape left whole
Beyond “Sustainable”, toward
Ethical Development
Industry and regulators can shift the climate of
tension & distrustProactive action to protect acoustic space
Comprehensive planning
Facilitating conflict resolution
2020 vision
Working to develop resources
AND leave positive legacy
Listening to—and caring for—the voices of these
landscapes
