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This week we talk with National Parks Conservation Association President and CEO Theresa Pierno about the impact coronavirus is having on the National Park System, and check in with author Richard Louv on his latest book, Our Wild Calling: How Connecting with Animals Can Transform our Lives, and Save Theirs. If you visit national parks to view the wildlife, you’ll want to listen to this conversation.

And Lynn Riddick concludes her four-part series on San Antonio Missions National Historical Park with a visit to Mission San Juan.

Mission San Juan at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

Written and reported by Lynn Riddick

Produced by Jesse Repanshek

:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
:12 Episode introduction with Kurt Repanshek
1:37 Conversation with Theresa Pierno, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association, on the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the parks.
12:19 National Parks Traveler coronavirus edition promotion
12:41 Friends of Acadia promotion
13:10 RVShare.com promotion
13:48 Conversation with author Richard Louv on his new book, Our Wild Calling: How Connecting with Animals Can Transform our Lives, and Save Theirs
27:33 Yankee Freedom promotion
28:09 North Cascades Institute promotion
28:28 Washington’s National Park Fund promotion
29:05 Conversation with Richard Louv continues
47:28 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation promotion
47:54 Grand Teton National Park Foundation promotion
48:30 Lynn Riddick concludes her tour of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park with a stop at Mission San Juan
1:10:12 Episode Closing
1:10:31 Orange Tree Productions promotion

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 322 | Congressman Jared Huffman

The first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second term might be the most tumultuous first 100 days of any president. He certainly came in prepared to move his agenda forward, no matter what barriers to it existed.

We don’t usually discuss presidential politics, but President Trump has released a blizzard of executive orders and directives touching all corners of the federal government, including the National Park Service.

April 27th, 2025 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 321 | National Park Science At Risk

There has been much upheaval in the National Park Service this year, with firings, then rehires, and staff deciding to retire now rather than risk sticking around and being fired. There have been fears that more Park Service personnel are about to be let go through a reduction in force.

While Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has ordered the Park Service to ensure that parks are properly to support the operating hours and needs of each park unit,” that message said nothing about protecting park resources.

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National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 320 | George Wright Society

George Melendez Wright was a brilliant young scientist with the National Park Service back in the 1920s and 1930s. You could say he was ahead of his time, in that he wanted the Park Service to take a holistic role in how wildlife in the parks was managed.

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National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 319 | Kilauea's Unrest

One of the greatest shows on Earth has been going on now for several months in Hawaii, where the Kīlauea volcano at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park has been erupting since late December. The Kīlauea volcano is the most active volcano on Earth.

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National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 318 | Covering the Parks

There are more stories to be found in the National Park System than one could write in a lifetime. Or several lifetimes.

Sometimes those stories can be hard to spot. How many were aware of the factoid from Great Smoky Mountains National Park that Jennifer Bain dug up, that if you stacked up all of the park’s salamanders against its roughly 1,900 black bears, the salamanders would weigh more?

Talk about national park trivia.

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The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

Here’s the definitive guide to National Park System campgrounds where RVers can park their rigs.

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

You’ll also find stories about RVing in the parks, tips helpful if you’ve just recently become an RVer, and useful planning suggestions.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

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