Buffalo, New York Engineering Students Win Design Contest for Quieter, Less Polluting Snowmobile (Apr. 13, 2000). The New York Times reports that State University of New York Buffalo engineering students have designed a way to eliminate snowmobile noise and air pollution. They won first place in a contest sponsored recently by the Society for Automotive Engineers.
Albany, New York Considers Adoption of New Noise Ordinance (Apr. 7, 2000). The Times Union in Albany, New York reports that the city of Albany has proposed a noise ordinance that will be presented at a public meeting on April 25. The city decided it needed to instate a noise ordinance after having received ongoing complaints from residents who were continually annoyed by the sound of motorbike riders.
US National Park Service Hoping to Reduce Motor Vehicle Use in Parks (Apr. 2, 2000). The Deseret News in Salt Lake City, Utah recently published an article that originally appeared in the Christian Science Monitor. The article reports that the National Park Service is considering reducing the use of snowmobiles, cars, and airplanes in some of the country's national parks, including Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon. The Park Service hopes to be able to decrease noise and air pollution in the parks to keep them more pristine and to allow visitors to experience a more unspoiled environment.
Farmington Utah Residents Say No Sunday Pool and a Ban on Snowmobiles in Yellowtone (Mar. 24, 2000). Should swimming pools be closed on Sunday? An article from the Associated Press reported on such a dilemma in one town in Utah.
Colorado State University Engineering Students Attempt to Build Clean and Quiet Snowmobile (Mar. 20, 2000). The Denver Post reports that local university teams are competing in Jackson, Wyoming to design cleaner running snowmobiles. The competition is taking place during a time of intense debate over a possible snowmobile ban in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks....
Noise Study Conducted by Conservation Groups in Yellowstone National Park May Convince National Park Service to Implement Parkwide Snowmobile Ban (Mar. 14, 2000). The U.S. Newswire reports that the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition recently collaborated to study snowmobile noise in Yellowstone National Park. Based on its results, the National Park Service announced that it is seriously considering imposing a ban on snowmobiles in the park.
US Engineering Students Compete in Nationwide Contest to Design Quieter Snowmobiles (Feb. 1, 2000). An article in the Associated Press reported that if engineering students are successful, then a little more peace and quiet may be in store for Yellowstone National Park, and snowmobiles will have a better public image as a result.
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge Rules Local Noise Ordinance as Unconstitutional (Feb. 1, 2000). According to the Associated Press, a judge in Superior, Wisconsin ruled that the local noise ordinance is unconstitutional, and in effect reversing a decision by the village board.
Minnesota Competition Asks College Students to Design a Cleaner, Quieter Snowmobile (Jan. 31, 2000). The Star Tribune reports that engineering students from seven colleges will compete in Jackson, Wyoming to have the cleanest, quietest snowmobile. The issues of air-pollution and noise in Wyoming state parks had been looming large, and the competition was conceived as a constructive way to address the issue.
US Snowmobile Manufacturer Announces Quieter Machines For Testing in Yellowstone (Jan. 14, 2000). An article from the PR Presswire reported that Arctic Cat announced that it would loan two prototypes for a quieter snowmobile to the National Park Service for use in Yellowstone National Park.
Amherst, New York Resident Says Despite Low Turnout at a Recent Public Meeting, Many State and National Park Visitors Resent Noise and Exhaust from Snowmobiles (Nov. 22, 1999). The Buffalo News prints a letter to the editor from a man in Amherst, New York who believes that despite the low turnout at a recent public meeting, many visitors to state and national parks resent the noise and pollution from snowmobiles.
Columnist in Columbia, South Carolina Discusses Noise Strategies in Our National Parks (Oct. 16, 1999). The Sacramento Bee prints a column that discusses noise pollution in our national parks. The column discusses air-tour noise, raft-motor noise, and other problems in our national parks. She mentions that the National Park Service is currently drafting a policy that will require all parks to monitor their noise and establish natural sound levels as well as sources of the most intrusive human-made sounds.
Police in Rhode Island Town to Purchase ATV To Patrol Gravel Pits (Jul. 7, 1999). The Providence Journal-Bulletin reports that dirt bikers are no longer welcome on private property. About 400 acres of gravel pits near the New London Turnpike and Route 95 never have been a site for recreation, but dirt bikers have used them for some time without being challenged. That's all about to change because of the noise they make.
Calif. Town Considers Off-Road Vehicle Ordinance; Meanwhile, Posts City Property and Increases Enforcement of Noise Ordinance (Mar. 2, 1999). The Press-Enterprise reports the City Council in Calimesa, California, is considering adopting an off-road vehicle ordinance in response to residents' complaints of noise and other related disturbances.
'Snowmobile' is a Fighting Word in Yellowstone National Park; Man and Motor Versus Natural Quiet (Feb. 28, 1999). The Chicago Tribune reports the snowmobile's noise and pollution in Yellowstone National Park is the latest topic in a larger debate of how to appreciate nature on public lands in the United States.
Snowmobile Debate in US Parks Goes National with Petition from Green Groups (Feb. 12, 1999). USA Today reports a coalition of environmental groups in the United Sates is calling for the ban of recreational snowmobiles in national parks, setting off a contentious debate covering issues from noise and pollution to local economies and civil rights.
Environmentalists Want Snowmobiles Out of U.S. National Parks (Feb. 7, 1999). The New York Times reports a coalition of environmental groups in the United States wants to ban snowmobiles from the 28 National Parks that allow them. Noise, air pollution and safety are environmentalists' chief concerns.
Residents Consider Noise Ordinance in Conn. Town (Nov. 24, 1998). The Hartford Courant reports Ellington, Connecticut, residents gathered Monday at a town ordinance meeting addressing noise and blight.
Snowmobilers Gather in NH to Discuss Noise and Other Problems that Threaten their Sport (Sep. 13, 1998). The Union Leader reports snowmobile enthusiasts met in Manchester, New Hampshire, yesterday to discuss how to keep trails open in the wake of numerous complaints from homeowners about the noisy recreational machines.
Debate Continues Over Use of Personal Watercraft as National Parks Service Proposes Rule (Sep. 6, 1998). The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports national seashores in Florida and North Carolina are among several that would be exempt from a ban on Jet Ski-type watercraft under new proposed National Park Service regulations.
Long Island Towns Restrict Places to Ride Noisy ATVs (Aug. 9, 1998). Newsday reports Smithtown, New York, officials say a recent crackdown on noisy all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes in neighboring Brookhaven has brought riders into their town in search of open spaces to ride. Citing noise and environmental and liability issues, Smithtown is enforcing its own restrictions.
Colden Lake Neighbors Wary of Noise from Motorcycle Races (Apr. 10, 1998). The Buffalo News reports the Colden , New York, Town Board Thursday night approved a special-use permit for an "off-road grand prix" to be held at the Colden Lakes Resort despite the objections of a few residents.
Off-Road Vehicles Should Be Banned From National Forests, Columnist Believes (Mar. 30, 1998). The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette printed an editorial in which the writer argues that dirt bikes, snowmobiles, and all-terrain vehicles should be banned at national forests.
Columnist Criticizes Snowmobiles on Public Lands (Mar. 23, 1998). The Charleston Gazette printed the following editorial from Donella Meadows, an adjunct professor of environmental studies at Dartmouth College, regarding snowmobile noise on public lands:
Snowmobiles Plague Yellowstone (Feb. 19, 1998). USA Today published an editorial about the effects of snowmobiles on Yellowstone National Park and advocates banning their use in National Parks.
National Park Service Prepares To Develop Winter Use Plan At Yellowstone Park (Jan. 16, 1998). The National Parks and Conservation Association issued the following press release concerning the study of winter uses by the public at Yellowstone Park and their effects on wildlife, air and water quality, and overall park tranquility:
Complaints of Noisy Snowmobiles Have Increased in Wisconsin (Jan. 14, 1998). The Wisconsin State Journal reports that increased complaints about noisy snowmobiles have attracted the attention of the Governor's Snowmobile Council, the Association of Wisconsin Snowmobile Clubs and state recreation officials. Some of the complaints are related to an increasing number of snowmobile owners who are replacing their machines' factory-installed exhaust systems with ones that boost horsepower but are noisier, according to the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
New York Police Impound ATVs In Response To Noise Complaints (Dec. 22, 1997). Newsday reports that reacting to noise complaints from residents and civic groups, police in Suffolk County New York took to the woods of Shoreham Saturday and impounded 10 all-terrain vehicles.
Florida Retirement Community Fights Noise From Trucks (Dec. 11, 1997). The Orlando Sentinel Tribune reports that more than 100 people in Orange City, Florida who have taken to civic activism have a litany of complaints from loud trucks to speeding cars to the proliferation of all-terrain vehicles frolicking on vacant property nearby. This week, the Orange City Council promised to help.
Maine Residents Bothered by Noisy ATVs on Railbed (Oct. 3, 1997). The Portland Press Herald reports that residents in Springvale, Maine are complaining about the all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes that gun their engines and race up and down the former Boston & Maine Railroad rail bed. Police say they can do little to curb the problem, and other local officials do not believe the problem warrants action.
Alaska Group Formed to Promote Quiet Rights in the Outdoors (Sep. 28, 1997). The Anchorage Daily News reports that a new group has formed in Alaska to promote the right to quiet in the state's outdoors. The group is called the Alaska Quiet Rights Coalition, and members say they have signed up hundreds of supporters across the state during the past year. An event planned by the group, Alaska Quiet Rights Day, will be held today and will be mainly a public information meeting.
Residents in Massachusetts Town Vote to Uphold Ban on Motorcycles on Frozen Ponds (Sep. 9, 1997). The Patriot Ledger reports that residents in Halifax, Massachusetts voted at last night's special town meeting to keep a ban on motorcycles on the town's frozen waterways. The ban originally was passed at the May town meeting as part of a new boating bylaw. But William Cafarelli had asked that the bylaw be amended to allow motorcycle use between 10 a.m. and dusk, the article says.
Pennsylvania Man Kills Dirt Biker Over Noise (Sep. 8, 1997). The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that John Bereznak of Beaverdale, Pennsylvania on Saturday shot and killed a young dirt biker who was biking on the mounds of coal from an abandoned strip mine about 200 yards from Bereznak's house. Bereznak had complained about noise from the dirt bikers for several years, and once had thrown a shovel at a dirt biker while ranting about noise. He also was suspected by the town's dirt bikers of installing tar paper seeded with nails around the abandoned mine area. Bereznak later killed himself.
New York County Police Officers Set Up Traps to Capture All-Terrain Vehicle Riders (May 12, 1997). Newsday reports that Suffolk County (New York) police officers this weekend impounded five all-terrain vehicles and issued summonses to their drivers near Brookhaven, New York. The police operation, in conjunction with officials from Brookhaven Town, the Suffolk Parks Department, and the state Department of Conservation, set up traps Saturday to capture the all-terrain vehicle riders and charged them with having open alcoholic beverages and operating an all-terrain vehicle without the property owners' permission. Police officials' action came after serious complaints from property owners about the noise and dust from the vehicles, which are now banned on public land.
Limits on Snowmobiles in Yellowstone Are Unavoidable (May 8, 1997). The Idaho Falls Post Register printed an editorial that explores the issue of how many snowmobiles should be allowed in Yellowstone National Park and its six adjacent national forests in order to avoid conflicts with wildlife and other recreational users and damage to natural resources. The editorial writer says that the scientific answer to the question is fairly straightforward, but a political solution acceptable to everyone is not so easy.
Aircraft Noise
Amplified Noise
Effects on Wildlife/Animals
Construction Noise
Firing Ranges
Health Effects
Home Equipment and Appliances
Industrial/Manufacturing
International News
Environmental Justice
Land Use and Noise
Lawsuits
Civil Liberty Issues
Miscellaneous Noise Stories
Noise Ordinances
Noise Organizations Mentioned
Outdoor Events
Noise in Our National Parks/Natural Areas
Regulation
Residential and Community Noise
Research and Studies
Technological Solutions to Noise
Transportation Related Noise
Violence and Noise
Watercraft Noise
Workplace Noise
Chronological Index
Geographical Index