Since late April 2024, we have been recording continuous soundscapes at six sites in the Baraboo Hills that encompass a range of forest types – upland woodlands, stream gorges, mesic hardwood forests, swamps. Each site has one bioacoustic recorder and one camera trap, in order to document species that might not vocalize consistently. Data will be used to understand how healthy forest ecosystems sound throughout the year – to answer questions about species diversity, phenology, conservation, and more.
Additionally, archived bioacoustic data can function like a time capsule to be returned to in the future – by scientists, educators, artists, or other listeners. These recording can also be used like a reference library for other Midwestern forest conservation projects.
The Baraboo Hills site is one of several Soundscape Baselines Project research teams, located throughout the world. This project was started by the Sound Forest Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Baraboo Hills artwork by Sarah Heuzeroth.
Learn more about the Baraboo Hills Soundscape Baselines Project research through Wisconsin Public Radio, or this Great Lakes Now feature:
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Baraboo Hills Ecology Research Collective 