Wood Stork Colony Protection Plan, Sea Island

Noise Risk Assessment for the St. Simons Island Wood Stork Colony
Sea Island Company

Pandion designed and conducted a noise risk assessment to address the issue of the potential disturbing effect of residential construction sound on nesting wood storks at the St. Simons Island Wood Stork Colony. The purpose of the risk assessment was to quantitatively evaluate how residential construction related noise would travel through the primary buffer zone of forested vegetation surrounding the Colony and nesting areas, and what the likely exposure and effects would be to wood storks nesting in the Colony.

Noise (defined as undesired or disturbing sound) was generated from seven representative residential construction equipment pieces including trackhoe, small bulldozer, dump truck, bucket truck with tree saw, bucket truck with chain saw, skill saw, and nail gun. Sound levels were monitored individually as well as in symphony (combination of all equipment operating at the same time). Ambient noise was also measured. Noises from these different pieces of equipment were monitored at 80, 200, and 500-foot distances from the noise source.

Pandion prepared a report on the noise risk assessment study for submission to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in consideration of a Proposal to Amend the Wood Stork Colony Restoration Plan for the Sea Island Company.

Key Personnel
James Newman, PhD
Crissy Sutter, MS
Karen Hill

Period of Performance
2005

Location
Georgia Coastal Barrier Island