PS 23-63 - The frequency of wildlife observations are inversely correlated with excess road noise in Ann Arbor, Michigan's suburban and periurban Greenbelt

Abstract: Habitat connectivity is integral to wildlife health and movement, and nature interactions are beneficial to human health. Of particular concern, childhood interactions with nature are later in life correlated with pro-environment and conservation behavior that supports diversity. Conservation and restoration efforts have, in part, sought to strengthen wildlife corridors and habitat connectivity because fragmentation and habitat loss have contributed to reductions in biodiversity. Landscape architects often employ design decisions to intercept sound because excess noise has negative effects on perceived safety and human health. Some home owners’ associations regulate development activities, while many land planning strategies have yet to consistently plan for human and wildlife interactions in order to mitigate negative consequences on health and nature that results from some forms of human activity and development. The objective of this study was twofold- to verify that excess noise is inversely correlated with audible nature sounds and to observe noise levels at residential locations immediately adjacent or within 0.5-km of creeks, streams, or rivers to identify conservation priorities for healthy neighborhoods in Ann Arbor’s Greenbelt. The seventeen locations were selected based on a stratified method considering distance from highways|interstates, secondary roads, and arterial roads. Sound and visual observations of animals, weather, and cars were recorded as Nature, Human, or Vehicle and Discrete or Continuous. Human behavior was not included in this study except that barking dogs were attributed to the category Human rather than Nature or Vehicle. Sixty-two stationary car surveys were 40-minutes to 4-hours long from dusk until midnight and from March through August. According to previous studies, car surveys are a safe way to collect data in locations where cars are already common. Identification of significant interaction terms (RoadwayType*DistanceToRoadway) are in progress. Very few observations of weather (predominantly wind) or animals (bird, amphibians, or mammals) occurred on long summer days if traffic increased temporarily at sunset or near primary roadways at times of high traffic. This study suggests that the frequency of wildlife observations are decreased by excess road noise, positing a concomitant reduction in habitat connectivity and biodiversity. This study also suggests that the benefits that nature interactions and sounds have on human health are decreased by excess road noise. Therefore, future experiments could test these phenomenon to improve land planning strategies, decrease excess noise, and increase perceived safety, childhood nature interactions, human health, habitat connectivity, and biodiversity.