On March 26th, 2026, panelists from the Sound Defense Alliance, Omfishient Consulting, and the University of Washington came together to present a summary of the last decade of advocacy, litigation, and research on Growler impacts to the communities of western Washington.

It has been well over 10 years since the first Growlers arrived, in 2013, consolidating the Growler fleet and training operations to areas surrounding Whidbey Island, the Olympic Peninsula, and Methow Valley. Since that time, Sound Defense Alliance and Citizens of Ebey’s Reserve have engaged in political and legal advocacy work, while local researchers have conducted multiple studies documenting the noise levels and impacts.

During the recorded webinar (above), Sound Defense Alliance hosted guest researchers to share results from two recent studies on how military aviation affects residents of western Washington. The first study shared results from a randomized survey conducted in 2024 to evaluate the intensity and type of impacts reported by residents, as well as better understand the role of “non-acoustic factors” in evaluating noise. The second analyzed seven years of noise complaint data to compare geographic trends in complaint data with noise contours, and to capture the range of impacts on both health and quality of life. Both of these studies are designed to capture and reflect the lived experience of military aviation on communities, advancing science needed both globally and to support communities in Washington State.