We have national and state parks and recreation areas, wilderness areas and forests, but we need a new classification of public lands — quiet beaches.
Several trips I’ve made to the sandy stripes along Lake Michigan this summer have been marred by shrieking people, barking dogs and thundering boom boxes. It’s bad manners, but also a mystery. Why do open spaces, for some, equate to open mouths? “Perhaps the problem of people blasting music in the wilds is akin to people getting fall-down drunk at family reunions,” theorizes one writer.
That analogy holds water when you realize that drunken noise has been a problem on Michigan rivers. Even protected waters are not immune to noise.
Does this make you want to turn up your boombox?
I hear myself sounding like the old man screaming “Get off my lawn.” (It’s not my lawn, obviously.) But I don’t think we can bar noise and noisy people from all public lands, or even beaches and rivers. I’m just in favor of setting aside a few for only the murmurs of water, trees and yes, people.
A precedent of sorts is the Sand Lakes Quiet Area southeast of Traverse City. Located on state forestland with over 10 miles of trail, the area is officially off limits to motorized vehicles. It’s just one of a few small exceptions to state policies that permit, even welcome motors. There are also 14 designated wilderness areas on federal forest and park lands in Michigan that are legally off limits to motors.
Everyday noise is bad for humans but also for wildlife. The opportunity to distance yourself from the irritation of background human sound by sitting beside even a roiling lake is precious. Let’s set aside a few areas of public land, including beaches, for an escape from noise as well as pavement. And let’s teach more people in the ethic of respect for nature — and the quiet joy of turning the volume down.
This seems like a good time to share my tried-and-true method for discouraging loud music in natural areas.
When people have their music turned up too loudly, I start bobbing my head to the beat. If this doesn’t work (it almost always does), I progress to air guitar and, finally, dancing (you do NOT want to see me dance…).
The aural offenders flee the area within minutes, as there is nothing so repellent, apparently, as a geezer grooving to their tunes. Try it today; thank me tomorrow.
:- )
Excellent idea! Human created noise is everywhere blocking out the sounds of nature. Quiet beaches are long overdue.