Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park: Noise Monitoring Report 2024
Son S, Ahearn M, White K. 2026. Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park: Noise Monitoring Report 2024. Science Report. NPS/SR—2026/431. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado. https://doi.org/10.36967/2303658
Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park (CEBE) prioritizes maintaining a solemn acoustic environment for park visitors. A Conditional Use Permit (CUP) was issued to a commercial outdoor shooting range operator across Interstate 81 from CEBE in 2022. This document allows outdoor discharge of firearms, assuming “activities associated with the commercial operation shall not produce sound levels which exceed 60 decibels during hours of operation at the nearest property line.” Continuous acoustic and meteorological data were recorded at CEBE during a 25-day period in August 2024 to better understand the acoustic environment in the park. A sampling of hours with potential gunfire activity was evaluated for compliance with permitted noise levels and excluded any contaminating noise events. This analysis demonstrated that the noise level limit established by the CUP is often surpassed, resulting in non-compliance with the CUP. Potential mitigation measures for consideration are offered in the Appendix.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Son, Sophie; Ahearn, Meghan; White, Kelsey
- Date of Issue
- 2026-05
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- DOI
- 10.36967/2303658
- Units
- CEBE , NRSS
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Landscapes | Soundscape | Soundscape , NPS.gov Subject Site: Natural Sounds