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Nature is an incredibly powerful and successful teacher. Of course, students need teachers to deliver the lessons. That’s where Residential Environmental Learning Centers come into play in national parks.

Organizations like NatureBridge, the Cuyahoga Valley Institute, the Yellowstone Institute, the Great Smoky Mountains Institute. And the North Cascades Institute. These nonprofit organizations use national parks as their classrooms.

Lynn Riddick talks with Saul Weisberg to understand how the North Cascades Institute teaches children well.

After her conversation, we question why the National Park Service is making substantial funding cuts and programmatic changes to the highly regarded and successful Sea Turtle Science and Recovery program at Padre Island National Seashore.

:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
:12 Episode introduction with Kurt Repanshek
1:24 Vista Verde - Tim Heintz - The Sounds of Peaks, Plateaus and Canyons
2:07 A conversation with North Cascades Institute Executive Director Saul Weisberg
30:04 Wonder Lake - Various Artists - The Spirit of Alaska
30:21 National Parks Traveler promotion
30:34 Friends of Acadia promotion
31:03 Grand Teton National Park Foundation promotion
31:34 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation promotion
32:01 North Cascades Institute interview with Saul Weisberg continues
39:26 Almost Home - Randy Petersen - The Sounds of the Great Smoky Mountains
39:51 Washington’s National Park Fund promotion
40:25 North Cascades Institute promotion
40:51 Commentary: Why reduce funding and programming of the sea turtle science program at Padre Island National Seashore?
44:23 Caribbean Song - Tim Heintz - The Sounds of the Everglades
44:45 Episode Closing
45:38 Orange Tree Productions promotion
46:14 National Parks Traveler footer

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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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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.

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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.
 
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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.