National Parks Traveler Podcast

What has been your experience in the National Park System this year? Have you found lots of crowds, or has your experience been more enjoyable because you haven't encountered scores of other visitors milling about? Today we're discussing crowding in the parks with Kristen Brengel of the National Parks Conservation Association and Phil Francis of the Coalition to Protect America's national Parks. We'll also discuss why the National Park Service still is without a Senate-confirmed director.

One of the newest additions to the National Park System is the World War I Memorial in the District of Columbia. Traveler's Kurt Repanshek and Contributing Editor Kim O'Connell offer this short audio postcard from the site.

Through the efforts of the #SaveLACougars campaign, tens of millions of dollars have been raised so far to build the world's largest wildlife corridor over the 101 Freeway in Liberty Canyon, west of Los Angeles. Such a bridge would help protect mountain lions roaming the Santa Monica Mountains.

In this, the first segment of a two-part series, the Traveler's Lynn Riddick talks with Beth Pratt of the National Wildlife Federation to dig deep into the life of a mountain lion and find out why fragmented habitats are so destructive to their survival. They'll also discuss the immense outpouring of support for urban wildlife conservation efforts in general and this corridor project in particular.

To celebrate Independence Day and our hard-fought freedoms, National Parks Traveler's Lynn Riddick takes on us a visit to Fort McHenry National Monument and Shrine to learn more about its history and the story behind the poem that was inspired by the Battle of Baltimore.

When traveling to a national park, not everything goes as planned. Maybe you've been disappointed about the crowds. Or maybe couldn't find lodging. Or maybe you weren't able to squeeze in everything you wanted to do. But have you ever found yourself complaining about scenery that you determined to be substandard…or dismissing the exact feature for which the park is known? Today the Traveler's Lynn Riddick -- with voice talent courtesy of Susan Emerson and Stuart Eldridge -- talks to a graphic designer and illustrator who mines the one-star internet reviews from disgruntled national park goers and turns them into something we can all laugh at.

How can aspiring scientists and researchers get a hand in conducting research in the National Park System? Ryan and Julie Sharp, who both spent time working for the National Park Service, raise funds to help college students hoping to conduct research in the parks. Ryan, a professor at Kansas State University, also discusses understanding visitor behavior in parks.

Climate change is here and greatly impacting our weather and long-term climatic trends. In the Southwest, it's having a tremendous impact on water resources across the Colorado River watershed. Warming temperatures associated with climate change are affecting the Colorado River, and those impacts also are showing up in national parks along the river's path. In this episode, we look at how the ailing river is impacting Grand Canyon National Park.

Go take a hike. Wouldn't that be a great escape this weekend? Some of my most enjoyable hikes have been along the Appalachian Trail. That path was easy to reach when I was growing up in New Jersey. Now based in Utah, the A.T. is a distant aspiration. Much closer are both the Continental Divide Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. This is Kurt Repanshek, your host at National Parks Traveler. All three of those trails – the Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and Pacific Crest Trail – are officially recognized as National Scenic Trails. In all, there are 11 trails across the United States that carry that designation. Are they all treated equally when it comes to funding, maintenance, and even completion of an uninterrupted path? Not at all, and we'll dive into those issues and why they are what they are.

The National Park Service could be seen as one of the country's most science-focused agencies, as it deals with all sorts of "ologies" – biology, paleontology, archaeology, sociology, ecology, cetology, bioecology, and, in light of the popularity of dark night skies, even planetology. But is science properly guiding its mission? Former Park Service scientists Michael Soukup and Gary Machlis discuss those questions.