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Scenic Science In the National Parks and Bison Management Plans

In this week’s show, we sat down with Emily Hoff and Maygen Keller to discuss their upcoming book, Scenic Science of the National Parks, an Explorer's Guide to Wildlife, Geology, and Botany. The book, scheduled to be available March 31, is a wonderfully new guidebook to help you get the most out of your national park adventures.

We also talk with Tanya Shenk, a National Park Service scientist who helped develop a draft framework for bison stewardship in the Midwest Region of the park system. It’s a region where you can find bison at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Kansas, Badlands National Park and Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota, and Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.

:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
:12 Episode introduction with Kurt Repanshek
1:42 Interview with Emily Hoff and Maygen Keller, authors of Scenic Science In the National Parks
11:52 National Parks Traveler promotion
12:07 RVShare.com promotion
12:42 Grand Teton National Park Foundation promotion
13:14 North Cascades Institute promotion
13:32 Scenic Science inthe National Parks interview continues
28:00 Yankee Freedom promotion
28:36 Washington's National Park Fund promotion
29:11 Interview with Tanya Shenk on draft bison management plan for the Park Service's Midwest Region
38:08 Friends of Acadia promotion
38:37 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation promotion
39:05 Bison plan interview continues
49:34 Episode closing
49:59 Orange Tree Productions

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One of the most popular public events in the National Park System was the release of sea turtle hatchlings, shuffling off into the Gulf of Mexico at Padre Island National Seashore. I say was, because the number of those public events has been drastically scaled back in recent years.

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Air pollution and climate change impacts can have outsized effects on the National Park System, as well as lesser noticed but just as concerning effects. But are those impacts spread across the entire park system, or clustered around a few?

Back in 2019 the National Parks Conservation Association looked at how air pollution and climate change were impacting parks. They have updated that study with the latest data from the National Park Service, and the current state of affairs remains concerning.

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While most visitors to the National Park System view the parks as incredibly beautiful places, or places rich in culture and history, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes within the parks, and with the National Parks Service. 

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With nearly 430 units in the National Park System, of which 63 are National Parks, we all probably could use a little help in planning our adventures into the park system. But do you simply visit a park’s website to plan your trip? Find an online guidebook? Buy a hardcover guidebook? Or simply wing it when you reach your destination?

This is Kurt Repanshek, your host at the National Parks Traveler. I must confess, I’ve taken all three approaches, and I’ve even written a guidebook to the parks, and there’s probably a fair amount of guidebook material on the Traveler.

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Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park is such a unique destination in the National Park System. Located on the Big Island, it’s surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, it has rainforests, and it boasts two active volcanoes in Mauna Loa and Kilauea.
 
A visit to Hawai’i Volcanoes comes with a number of options. Do you simply hope to catch an eruption of Kilauea and head somewhere else in Hawaii, do you explore the backcountry with its more than 160 miles of trails, or you try to soak in the Hawaiian culture?
 

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The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.