River Time and Noise
I hope you all are doing well. It has been a while since I’ve written anything on this page, but I aim to change that. There is a lot going on - and that has been true for a while. A few things are worth noting and exploring.
Over the past few months I’ve been lucky enough to travel the Willamette, and a few other water ways quite a bit. Of course, due to my fantastic job, and a worthy respect and love for the Willamette River, I’ve already spent about 12 overnights along the river. That will likely increase dramatically over the next few months due to fantastic weather, and a lot of work to be done.
When I’m outside, seeking the relative peace of the Willamette, I typically enjoy the quiet of much of the river. Even for a river that winds through the most populous area of Oregon, some degree of separation from the noise of humanity can occur - and for this I’m thankful. Even so, it seems to me lately that the intrusion of noise, whether around my home, or along the river is increasing.
Myriad wildlife species, from the dynamism of migratory and resident bird life to the river otters just above Norwood, are what I seek to find in the most unobtrusive manner to them. Walking slowly, and listening carefully - the sounds of nature can just wash over anyone on some of the greenway properties like Norwood. Over the past few years though, I’ve become more attuned to the sounds of humanity. It also seems such sounds may have increased, with more people making more noise - day in and day out.
Sure, it is easy to complain about a range of things in this world, yet I think many of you may agree. We make too damn much noise as a species! In the case of a big valley river, we have:
Nearby Tractors.
The wayward Truck on a summer evening, with a seemingly purposeful lack of mufflers.
Irrigation Equipment that drones on through the night - immediately adjacent to a public property.
Harvesting equipment that seem to have no barrier to 24/7 operation in some weeks.
A formerly quiet rural highway that, due to increased population, now ushers vehicles south and north nearly 24/7.
Air traffic from the local flight school, airport and more.
Errant recreational boats with overly loud motors.
Repeated sounds of gunshots along the floodplain, in some areas for hours.
A small influx of airboats which simply do not belong in the nature of the Northwest.
People playing music in rural areas - FROM their recreational boats!
Many jet skis with tweaked mufflers.
While it is easy to criticize things in this world, there are some glaring issues that we could better address. I’d suggest that noise, even in a populated valley, is becoming a bigger issue than ever. Having a sense of one’s impact on others, and the natural world, is an area that should receive more attention. If you, or me are paddling a river, seeking out a bit of solitude, what right does a person have to drive a power boat into an area, make a temporary home on a gravel bar, and share their music with whoever might be within a mile of their station? Sure, it is a “public” river, but that does not mean that one waives a sense of decorum, common sense, and community sense at the beginning of a journey.
Folks who decide to play with their guns outside, on a beautiful day, somewhere within a mile or two of the Willamette floodplain, should think a bit more about what they do. Frankly it makes little sense to have that kind of intrusion in our relatively scarce public spaces along the river. Of course, there are no rules that limit one’s ability to shoot one’s gun/guns repeatedly for hours in rural private properties along the Willamette, but perhaps there should be.
I’d argue that the sense of decorum, or what is right in the commons has greatly decreased. The human presence is so large, and so widespread, that we can scarcely escape the most glaring examples of our presence. It makes little sense to import unnecessary noise into what would otherwise be a peaceful place. The same notion goes for the placement of irrigation pumps, which whirr and wine, and pollute public areas within a half mile with their noise.
We can do better as a society, and can be more considerate of others. I apply that notion to those who may be creating the noise pollution. It just may be that irrigators have not had a solid conversation with a person who has a view about the intrusiveness of unnecessary noise. It may be that a solid discussion of making very quiet water pumps has never occurred! They are gifted with a public resource already, so perhaps a bit more work on limiting the noise of pumps is in order.
Of course, the 4th of July is an outlier - yet I believe it is a day and evening that is problematic for a lot of people and wildlife. I personally do not need to be reminded of the sweet benefits of our freedom by the sound of explosions.
At any rate, the Willamette and other rivers still retain the ability to provide an escape, even if we have to plan a bit more to find it.
Have fun.
Travis