National Parks Traveler Podcast

What drove the name change for New River Gorge National River and how does the expansion of Saguaro National Park benefit the park? We discuss those issues this week with Joy Oakes and Kevin Dahl from the National Parks Conservation Association.

This week we’re talking search and rescue in the National Park System. Each year, there are thousands of search-and-rescue incidents logged across the park system. The Intermountain Region of the National Park Service is the largest in the agency, and is home to many of the most beautiful, and dangerous, national parks. Yellowstone has boiling waters and grizzly bears, Grand Canyon has that deep canyon, and Rocky Mountain has alluring, and rugged, backcountry. We’re joined by search and rescue experts at Rocky Mountain National Park

In this week’s show, our 100th podcast, we take a look at endangered and threatened species that call the National Park System home and the legal battles that swing to and fro over gaining them Endangered Species Act protections. Joining me for this discussion is Noah Greenwald, the endangered species director for the Center for Biological Diversity.

2021 marks 100 years since forester and planner Benton MacKaye conceived a trail connecting farmlands, mountain ranges, camps and towns along the Appalachian Mountain range. Sixteen years later, the Appalachian Trail was completed. Each year an estimated 3 million people take to the trail. In honor of this anniversary, Lynn Riddick met up with one A.T. enthusiast who has experienced the colossal physical and mental challenges of tackling the entire trail…and its immense rewards.

In this, our last episode for 2020, we look back on the past 12 months in the parks with Phil Francis of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks and Kristen Brengel from the National Parks Conservation Association. And we also take a peek at the task ahead for the Biden administration in the realm of parks and public lands.

Year after year, a little more of the visual history of Cape Lookout National Seashore on the Outer Banks of North Carolina is lost. Hurricanes and nor’easters take their toll on the structures in two small villages there, slowly erasing the reminders of what was once a thriving shipping and fishing hub.    The Traveler’s Lynn Riddick spoke with Cape Lookout National Seashore superintendent Jeff West to learn about the efforts to save whatever historic structures they can.

This week’s show is going to the birds. Counting, birds, that is, what with the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count officially kicking off Monday and running through January 5. We sat down with Geoff LeBaron, who long has overseen the annual count for the National Audubon Society, to discuss the program. 

If you’re a truly devoted national parks traveler, you don’t let political boundaries get in your way when you consider which national park to visit. With that in mind, we’re going to look north to Canada and the incredible parks overseen by Parks Canada. There are some great destinations there, whether you’re a young family traveling with kids, wildlife watchers looking for bison or birds, or more experienced travelers looking for a wild backcountry experience. 

Frederick Swanson is a Salt Lake City writer who long has studied public lands issues in Utah, and his latest book delves into the history of the state's national parks and monuments. In our show he discusses the motivation that spurred "Wonders of Sand and Stone, A History of Utah’s National Parks and Monuments."

Gulf Islands National Seashore is developing a Commercial Services Strategy for Crab Island due to the raucous partying that goes on there. Lynn Riddick discusses the matter with Gulf Islands Superintendent Dan Brown.