July 4th, 2008
OSI has received an outpouring of public support due to the recent attention by ABC’s Nightline and Ode Magazine. We look forward to making continued progress at saving the quietest place in the lower 48. For those of you who are planning to walk the quiet path to OSI, you can find directions on the links page, or send us an email for answers to your specific questions.
OSI is now accessible with the re-opening of the Hoh River Road. This comes just in time with the first annual OSI board meeting on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week at Kalaloch Lodge inside Olympic National Park. We look forward to announcing the results of this meeting on our next news posting.
Olympic National Park has announced that the Hoh Road is closed outside the park boundary because of flood damage. There is currently two feet of snow at the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center. Weather and snow conditions permitting, the road is expected to open by the end of February.
The three month, 10,000 mile trip across the United States to Washington, D.C., was completed with the safe return of the OSI stone to the moss covered log 3.2 miles up the Hoh River Trail.
You can view photographs of Silent Journey: One Square Inch to Washington, D.C., in either pdf format (5MB) or PowerPoint (12MB). Text descriptions and place names have been omitted to keep the experience quiet, but just for now. Silence will have a voice in an upcoming book where readers can listen to the American landscape and read what fellow Americans have to say about the need to preserve natural quiet. All expenses were paid by the publisher, Simon & Schuster.
During this journey more than 6,000 comments were received by the OSI website. These comments are in the process of review. Thank you for your support!
Your donations are still needed to save the natural quiet of Olympic Park. Please give generously. Your contribution does make a difference.
The original OSI stone (pictured on this website) is currently making a 106 day tour across America to Washington, D.C. Stops will include Washington State, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and Maryland before reaching our Nation’s Capital. The stone will be returned to Olympic Park in September; meanwhile, another stone temporarily rests on the moss covered log deep within the Hoh Rain Forest protecting silence over 1,000 square miles. Public access to the Hoh Rain Forest is not yet available but expected sometime in early May.
Please be advised that public access to OSI site in the Hoh Rain Forest is not possible at this time due to a series of severe storms that began in November and resulted in multiple washouts to the Hoh River Road. Site monitoring has temporarily ceased and will resume when access is possible. Access is expected to be restored late April or early May when an announcement will be made here. Anyone planning a hike to OSI is advised to call Olympic Park road conditions phone number at 360-565-3131 to confirm access to the trailhead. Meanwhile, OSI is proud to announce a successful 2006 with increased cooperation by airlines, increased public support, substantially increased revenues, wider press coverage and an opportunity to contribute to the Draft General Management Plan of Olympic National Park.
One Square Inch has continued to receive attention by the Press. Western Journey (the magazine for AAA members) and HUSH magazine provide prominent coverage in this month’s issues. The added publicity has increased public appreciation for Olympic Park’s unmatched aural solitude. Fall is an ideal season to enjoy an inspirational walk to the OSI stone and the Jar of Quiet Thoughts. The side path to the stone is now marked by white flagging making it easier to find than ever before. A small herd of elk frequent the area and naturally maintain the path.
One Square Inch gave public comment on the Draft General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement. Seven pages of comments regarding the management of the natural soundscape at Olympic Park were given. Among them: the hiring of a fulltime acoustic ecologist, the completion of a sound survey within the next five years, and petition the FAA to add Olympic Park to its list of no-flight zones for all aircraft.
On April 16, 2006, an aircraft identified as a Boeing B767 with tail number N582HA flying at an altitude of 36,972′ and registered to Hawaiian Airlines produced an audible noise impact of 44 dB(A) at One Square Inch. An appeal was made to Hawaiian Airlines asking the airlines to voluntarily fly around Olympic National Park. Keoni Wagner, VP-Public Affairs, Hawaiian Airlines, gave a final response on April 25, “This area is not in our normal flight path. However, we do have aircraft in the area occasionally, when we have to perform test flights after maintenance work, and will ask our pilots to try to avoid the area in the future.”
Hawaiian now joins American and Alaska on the list of airlines that have taken voluntary action to preserve the quietest place in the United States. American Airlines does not fly any flights over the park while Alaska Airlines does not fly any unscheduled flights (e.g., test and maintenance flights) over the park. Alaska Airlines still remains the #1 intruder into the wilderness of Olympic Park with more flights over the park than any other airlines.
Fly responsibly! The next time you are waiting to board your aircraft ask the attendent to confirm with the pilot that your flight will not go over any noise-sensitive areas like national parks. And when possible, show your support by choosing American or Hawaiian. Your actions become the voice of silence!
One Square Inch will be one year old on Saturday, April 22nd, 2006. A week of celebration began early on Easter morning with a quiet hike to One Square Inch with Olympic National Park Superintendent, Bill Laitner. A blanket of clouds and rare snowfall made for unusually quiet conditions but one noise intrusion did occur by a single aircraft at a measured peak level of 44 dB(A). This aircraft was later identified as a Boeing B767 with tail number N582HA flying at an altitude of 36,972′ and registered to Hawaiian Airlines. A request to avoid flying over Olympic Park was sent yesterday to Hawaiian Airlines at their corporate headquarters in Honolulu. Keoni Wagner responded today by email stating that she will see if something can be done. The forthcoming response from Hawaiian Airlines will be posted here. (Stay tuned.)
NEW Away Networks/GORP presents A Walk to America’s Quietest Place for Earth Day feature. More than two million users will have the opportunity to see, hear, and experience the joys of One Square Inch. Click here.
NEW iTunes now offers the One Square Inch First Anniversary Album with a portion of the proceeds to benefit this organization. The new album is also available on our donations page as a signed and numbered audio CD. Enjoy the sounds that you helped save for everyone. 
NEW Directions to One Square Inch site are now available for download from the links page under Tourist Information.
Saturday, April 22, 2006, a quiet hike is planned to One Square Inch with silent readings from the Jar of Quiet Thoughts. This ‘Jar’ is a pint-size metal container that rests underneath the log that supports the One Square Inch stone. It contains notes that can only be written or read by visitors who make the 3-mile hike.