I grew up a 45 minute drive (~20 miles) from the nearest stoplight. The town that had the stoplight also had a train. I could hear it whenever the wind was out of the north and wasn't too strong (and almost always hear its whistle).
We were also about 6-7 miles from the interstate "as-the-crow-flies" (about 10mi driving distance). I could hear constant interstate traffic most of the time.
Note that both of those were faint, but they were definitely there.
As far as how forested New York State is, this gives you a good idea:
My wife and I honeymooned in the Texas Hill Country. As part of it, we decided to just drive random roads (some unpaved or partially paved) just to see the countryside. At one point we pulled off the road to just walk around and take in the environment. Not a sound but the wind through the trees for a good five minutes. The Means' wouldn't count that pull-off as "remote", though.
All these parks and conservation areas have signed roads running through them. That precludes large swathes of them from being declared "remote". It doesn't matter that those roads might see half a dozen vehicles a year, while the site that meets their criteria is only two miles from a busy interstate.
I know the article says this, but it could't possibly be true. Most states have massive forests, including the State of New York. Even the most densely populated state, New Jersey, has them. Unless they literally sat at that spot for a day waiting for a plane to fly over them, I can't understand how it could be true.