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Oil and gas leasing in southern Utah could impact Arches, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef National Parks

This week we take a look at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s move to offer more than 110,000 acres in Utah for oil and gas development. How might that proposal impact Arches, Capitol Reef, and Canyonlands national parks? Erika Pollard from the National Parks Conservation Association joins us to explain some of the issues in play.  After listing to our conversation, take a look at this story that looks at the issue in more detail.

We leave you with a rationale for instituting a reservation system for visiting some units of the National Park System.

:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
:12 Episode introduction with Kurt Repanshek
1:21 Red Clay - Grant Geissman - The Sounds of The Grand Canyon
1:55 A discussion of oil and gas leasing in Utah and how it could impact Arches, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef national parks with Erika Pollard of National Parks Conservation Association.
12:02 Escalante - Tim Heintz - The Sounds of Peaks, Plateaus and Canyons
12:17 National Parks Traveler promotion
12:31 Washington’s National Park Fund promotion
13:07 North Cascades Institute promotion
13:28 Friends of Acadia promotion
14:02 The discussion of oil and gas leasing in Utah continues.
23:29 Long Pond - Nature’s Symphony - The Sounds of Acadia
24:01 Grand Teton National Park Foundation promotion
24:33 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation promotion
25:02 An editorial on instituting a reservation system for visiting some national parks.
30:22 No’Easter - Nature’s Symphony - The Sounds of Acadia
30:33 Episode Closing
31:05 Orange Tree Productions promotion
31:44 National Parks Traveler footer

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 324 | North American Bird Declines

True birders are some of the most determined and persistent hobbyists out there. If you want to call bird watching a hobby. For many, it’s more like a passion. Many look forward to “Big Day” competitions, where individuals and teams strive to see how many different bird species they can spot in a 24-hour period.

May 11th, 2025 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 323 | Walt Dabney and Public Lands

It’s fair to say that the nation’s public lands, those managed by the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service and other federal land-management agencies are at risk under the Trump administration.

There’s no hyperbole in that statement if you pay attention to what the administration already has done in terms of downsizing those agencies’ workforces, and when you listen to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum say he wants to open more public lands to energy development and mining.

May 4th, 2025 Read More

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.

April 20th, 2025 Read More

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.

April 6th, 2025 Read More

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

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