You are here

Share
An image of a range of snowy mountains, NPS photo, by Patrick Myers

The past year has been a trying one for the National Park Service, and for many of the units in the National Park System. For the agency, employee morale continued to be a major issue as housing, pay, and leadership remained sore spots for many who worked for the Service.
On the ground, climate change continued to impact parks, from sea level rise and more potent storms, to wildfires, and hotter and dryer conditions that adversely affected vegetation, wildlife, and facilities.
With time running out on 2023, and 2024 on the horizon, we’re going to be taking a look this week and next at many of the top stories that played out, or are playing out, across the National Park System and the National Park Service. Joining us for the conversation are Mike Murray, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, and Kristen Brengel, the Vice President of Government Affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association.

0:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
0:12 Episode Intro with Kurt Repanshek
0:44 Amaranth - Bill Mize - The Sounds of the Great Smoky Mountains
1:13 Xplorer Maps
1:34 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
1:56 Friends of Acadia
2:27 Episode 254 - 2023 Park System Year in Review
27:05 Torch - Bill Mize - The Sounds of the Everglades
27:22 NPT Promo
27:34 Interior Federal Credit Union
28:01 Yosemite Conservancy
28:23 Washington’s National Park Fund
28:58 Episode 254 - 2023 Park System Year in Review Continues
48:39 Whispering Winds - Grant Geissman - The Sounds of the Caribbean
48:56 Great Smoky Mountains Association
49:17 Grand Teton National Park Foundation
49:46 Potrero Group
50:13 The Everglades Foundation
50:29 Episode 254 - 2023 Park System Year in Review Continues
1:03:07 Escalante - Tim Heintz - The Sounds of Peaks, Plateaus and Canyons
1:03:23 Episode Closing
1:03:40 Orange Tree Productions
1:04:13 Splitbeard Productions
1:04:23 National Parks Traveler footer

Add comment

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 296 | Crime Off The Grid

Crime happens, even in national parks, national forests, and other public lands. There are murders, thefts, robberies and all sorts of crime that we’d hope to escape by heading into the kingdom of public lands.
 

October 13th, 2024 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 295 | The Aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene

Who could have predicted that Hurricane Helene would carry her fury from the Gulf of Mexico and the coast of Florida hundreds of miles north into Appalachia? While there were forecasts calling for the hurricane to be downgraded to a tropical storm and drop quite a bit of rain in the region, the extent of damage in western North Carolina has been breathtaking.

October 6th, 2024 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 294 | Rodanthe Beach Cleanup

The coastal town of Rodanthe, North Carolina is just a small spot on the map, but it’s a big place in the hearts of the people who live, own property, and vacation there. Located along Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Rodanthe has been in the national spotlight because of a succession of houses that have fallen into the Atlantic Ocean due to beach erosion. There have been ten houses affected in the past four years, and five this year alone. 

September 29th, 2024 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 293 | POWDR in Zion

Concessions are the backbone of the National Park System. True, the National Park Service manages the parks and the wildlife and the visitors, but the concessionaires provide you with a bed, or campsite, to sleep in, restaurants to dine in, and gift shops to browse in.

Xanterra Parks and Resorts is one of the key players in the national park concessions industry. They operate lodges in Yellowstone, Crater Lake, Death Valley, Glacier, Grand Canyon and, until the end of this year, Zion National Park.

September 22nd, 2024 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 292 | Voyageurs Wolf Project

The National Park System is an incredible reservoir of wildlife, from charismatic animals such as grizzly bears, bison and wolves, to animals such as moose, and pronghorn and sea turtles that, while not usually labeled as charismatic, are indeed just that.

Wolves certainly fall under the charismatic megafauna classification. They're majestic and mystifying, and perhaps even lend some romanticism to your backcountry adventures if you are lucky enough to hear a pack howling in chorus after sundown. 

September 15th, 2024 Read More

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.