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Carter Shields cabin in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. NPS photo.

Smokies Life, which most of you who closely follow Great Smoky Mountains National Park know was previously known as the Great Smoky Mountains Association, produces educational and informational materials for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This week we’re joined by Laurel Rematore, the chief executive officer of Smokies Life, to discuss the name change as well as how her organization lends a big hand to the Park Service staff at Great Smoky. 

0:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
0:12 Episode Intro with Kurt Repanshek
0:36 Amaranth - Bill Mize - The Sounds of the Great Smoky Mountains
0:59 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
1:21 Smokies Life
1:43 NPT Promo
2:00 Episode 273 - Smokies Life
40:18 Almost Home - Bill Mize - The Sounds of the Great Smoky Mountains
41:10 Episode Closing
41:33 Orange Tree Productions
42:05 Splitbeard Productions
42:17 National Parks Traveler footer

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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

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 291 | Campaign for the Parks

It was back in 1967 when the Congress chartered the National Park Foundation to serve as the official charity of the National Park Service, and over the decades it has raised millions of dollars for the parks.
 
The Foundation is in the midst of its Campaign for National Parks, a billion-dollar campaign that has already raised $815 million. A big chunk of that total came from a recent $100 million grant that greatly moved the foundation closer to its billion-dollar goal.
 

September 8th, 2024 Read More

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