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Candy Harrington, a journalist who traveled the National Park System to see how accessible lodges and trails in the parks really are, discusses her new book on accessibility in the parks. And Cory MacNulty and Erika Pollard from the National Parks Conservation Association’s Southwest Regional Office discuss the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s plans for managing the greatly reduced in size Bears Ears and Grand Staircase monuments, and the roughly 2 million acres that were pulled out of the monuments so they could be opened to mining, grazing, and other resource-impacting activities.

:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
:12 Episode introduction with Kurt Repanshek
1:40 Conversation with author Candy Harrington about accessibility in the National Park System
12:36 National Parks Traveler promotion
12:52 Grand Teton National Park Foundation promotion
13:23 Washington's National Park Fund promotion
14:00 RVShare.com promotion
14:34 Accessible parks conversation with Candy Harrington continues
27:30 Friends of Acadia promotion
28:00 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation promotion
28:25 North Cascades Institute promotion
28:47 Yankee Freedom promotion
29:28 How is the Bureau of Land Management managing Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah.
39:40 Episode closing
40:15 Orange Tree Productions

Comments

I just listened to Cindy's podcast and felt compelled to leave a comment. She sound like a delightful lady with good intentions!

I feel that I'm adequately prepared to comment as: I've applied commonsense and ADA standards to parks for 30 years, have a degree in architecture, and am a full-time wheelchair user.

I'm glad she fulfilled her five year dream and sensed that she enjoyed that experience. It sounded like the book contains some useful information and hope the sales of the book will help her partially cover the expenses.

But my advise is, DON'T BUY THIS BOOK!  Many accessibility problems stem from well intended people who sent the wrong messages to compliance representatives and the disabled public. 

She was obviously not prepared to represent people with disabilities for several reasons. First and foremost, she isn't disabled! If she was, she would have used the basic tool, the tape measure! A 1/2"-1" difference will often time dictate if someone in a wheelchair can use a wash basin, safely transfer onto a shower bench or bed... Besides safety issues a tape measure can alleviate frustrations associated with adequate turning radius, door openings and other pinch points. The size differentials of wheelchair and other mobility devices vary greatly. And that's just a few of her notable shortcomings. I also didn't hear about parking, accessible routes, door hardware & pull weight, front counter accessibility.

While I'm glad she perused her dream, It's obvious that she was ill equipped for the serious job of helping people with disabilities. I'm also saddened that your fine podcast helped propel this misinformation! Sorry if this stiff critique falls to side of negativity, but it was difficult to listen to.

 


She was obviously not prepared to represent people with disabilities for several reasons. First and foremost, she isn't disabled! If she was, she would have used the basic tool, the tape measure! A 1/2"-1" difference will often time dictate if someone in a wheelchair can use a wash basin, safely transfer onto a shower bench or bed... Besides safety issues a tape measure can alleviate frustrations associated with adequate turning radius, door openings and other pinch points. The size differentials of wheelchair and other mobility devices vary greatly. And that's just a few of her notable shortcomings. I also didn't hear about parking, accessible routes, door hardware & pull weight, front counter accessibility. - Yeap, your right! 


Amazing a good deal of beneficial information


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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.

March 24th, 2024 - Read More

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.

March 17th, 2024 - Read More

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. 

March 10th, 2024 - Read More

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.

March 3rd, 2024 - Read More

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?
 

February 25th, 2024 - Read More

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.