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About this sound
Have you ever thought about the different kinds of footprints that living things can leave behind? Not all footprints are made by a human foot. Some footprints are made by human action. Humans left behind the footprint of the pond. Now it is bustling with a variety of different animals. The original purpose of the pond was to reflect light onto the solar panels of the visitor center's sloping roof. The solar energy was used to heat the interior of the building. It was a good plan, but things have a way of changing. The role of the pond expanded from climatic control for a human environment to a natural environment that many different plants and animals depend on every day. Red-winged blackbirds use the cattails as a summer retreat. Frogs use the pond for their growth from an egg through the tadpole stage to an adult. Foxes may use the pond to supplement their diet with mice or rabbits helping to keep these populations small. Pheasants use the brush around the pond for protection. A human footprint, though sometimes destructive, has left behind a valuable habitat for the inhabitants that live in and use this area year round.
Why parks record sound
The NPS Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division monitors soundscapes in parks across the United States. Natural quiet is treated as a resource to protect, like clean air or dark skies: noise from aircraft, vehicles and machinery can mask animal communication and change the experience of a place.
More sounds
Pond Trail Sign 5: Migration
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Pond Trail Sign 2: The City
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Pond Trail Sign 3: Metamorphosis
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Pond Trail Sign 4: Tracks
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Pond Trail Sign 1: Wildland Romance
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Sources & credits
- Pond Trail Sign 6: The Power of Nature by US National Park Service – Public domain