You are here

Share
An image of a piping plover running on the beach

Throughout history the barrier islands that today are home to Cape Hatteras National Seashore have been attractive to wildlife. A variety of sea turtle species come ashore to lay their nests, and a variety of shorebirds settle there, too, to lay their eggs. 
But the thing with wildlife nesting on the beaches of Cape Hatteras is that one great season can be followed by a poor one. Influencing the outcome can be human disturbances, storms, and predation. 
How was 2023 for piping plovers, a threatened species, at Cape Hatteras, and what about the sea turtles? To get the answers to those questions we’ve invited Meaghan Johnson, the seashore’s Chief of Resource Management and Science to join us. 

0:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
0:12 Episode Intro with Kurt Repanshek
0:43 Beyond the Reef - Tim Heintz & Grant Geissman - Seascapes: A Musical Journey
1:09 Friends of Acadia
1:34 Grand Teton National Park Foundation
2:03 Potrero Group
2:32 Episode 249 - Cape Hatteras Shorebirds and Sea Turtles
11:10 Schoodic - Nature’s Symphony - The Sounds of Acadia
11:26 NPT Promo
11:39 Xplorer Maps
12:00 Washington’s National Park Fund
12:32 The Everglades Foundation
12:43 Great Smoky Mountains Association
13:10 Episode 249 - Cape Hatteras Shorebirds and Sea Turtles Continues
25:19 Whispering Winds - Grant Geissman - Sounds of the Caribbean
23:35 Interior Federal Credit Union
26:09 Yosemite Conservancy
26:31 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
26:56 Episode 249 - Cape Hatteras Shorebirds and Sea Turtles Continues
37:25 Wonder Lake - Various Artists - The Spirit of Alaska
37:43 Episode Closing
38:06 Orange Tree Productions
38:38 Splitbeard Productions
38:50 National Parks Traveler footer

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 327 | Plight of the Parks

So much is happening so quickly to the National Park Service. There have been staff reductions, hiring freezes, spending freezes, orders from the Interior Secretary to make sure that visitors find national parks welcoming, no matter what it takes.

June 1st, 2025 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 326 | Environmental Partisanship

Is green a red and blue construct? Put another way, is there a political partisan divide over the environment?

That’s a particularly interesting question, no doubt more so in recent years as the country seems to have drifted farther and farther apart because of our political beliefs. To that point, a reader reached out the other day to say our stories shouldn’t be negative on the Trump Administration because the national parks are going to need the help of all of us - Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and everything in-between - to survive.

May 25th, 2025 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 325 | Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility

News around public lands these days seems to revolve entirely around the Trump administration. In the case of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, many of the steps the administration is taking with the operational efficiencies of the National Park Service and other land management agencies certainly are keeping PEER busy.
 

May 18th, 2025 Read More

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

INN Member

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

FREE for iPhones and Android phones.