Management considerations for noise impacts on the superior National Forest and Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

Abstract

The USDA Forest Service-Superior National Forest manages the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) and multiple use lands located outside the Wilderness. For the BWCAW, the Forest Service is responsible for preserving wilderness character per Section 4b of the 1964 Wilderness Act. Accordingly, Forest Service managers need to understand the effects of human-generated sound on the soundscapes of the Wilderness when making decisions on if, where, and how to permit management activities to occur. Human-generated sound that may affect the Wilderness has been a consideration in management decisions for timber harvest, snowmobiling, ATVing, minerals exploration, and mining. Further, human-generated sound may also be an issue for recreation users or residents located on multiple use lands outside the Wilderness. We discuss the ongoing need for scientific information to inform decision making on this issue. We also discuss our monitoring efforts and data and analysis needs.