National Parks Traveler Podcast

How are Yellowstone National Park's grizzly bears faring? Kerry Gunther, the park's bear expert, joins the Traveler this week to discuss the current state of grizzlies in the park and whether their population is growing or dropping. Erika Zambello takes listeners on a short audio trip to Fort Matanzas National Monument in Florida.

John Garder, senior director of budget and appropriations for the National Parks Conservation Association, discusses congressional action on legislation to address the roughly $12 billion in backlogged maintenance needs across the National Park System. Becky Lomax, author of Moon USA National Parks, discusses what she's seeing in the parks in terms of that maintenance backlog, and we share thoughts about efforts to build a commercial spaceport just west of Cumberland Island National Seashore.

While there's concern that one day Joshua trees might no longer grow in Joshua Tree National Park, or that Glacier National Park might lose its rivers of ice, what about Saguaro National Park and its iconic cacti? Kurt Repanshek travels to Saguaro National Park to discuss the decadal survey of saguaros with park biologist Don Swann. Erika Zambello heads to coastal Georgia for an off-season visit to Cumberland Island National Seashore.

This week Doug Smith, who heads Yellowstone National Park’s Wolf Project, discusses how successful the park’s wolf recovery program has been. We also visit with the executive director of the National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation to discuss the five national park units the foundation works with, and end with a look at fall and winter migrations across the National Park System.

Erika Zambello and Dr. Alex Deghan, the CEO and co-founder of Conservation X Labs, an organization working to end human-induced extinction, discuss the first national parks in Afghanistan and the challenges to preserve them in a war zone. We also outline a Senate resolution to protect a much larger slice of nature in the United States than is currently being done, and highlight a winter’s visit to Virgin Islands National Park.

Two professors, one from Harvard, the other from Colorado State University, studied the National Park Service's fiscal condition, and came up with some suggestions for improving it. Professor Linda Bilmes discusses those opportunities with Traveler. We also look at possible impacts to Cumberland Island National Seashore from a proposed spaceport, and end this week's podcast with thoughts of visiting Death Valley National Park this winter.

Filmmakers Mark Deeble and Victoria Stone discuss their documentary, The Elephant Queen, which follows the matriarch of an elephant herd as she leads them from the “kingdom,” a lush landscape during the rainy season, to “the refuge,” where a reliable water hole slakes their thirst, came together. National Parks Traveler is honored by the Western National Parks Association, and we close with a look at a winter visit to Bryce Canyon National Park.

How did the infusion of Texas puma genes into the small population of Florida panthers in Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve benefit the panthers? Alexander Ochoa, a postdoctoral researcher at The Ohio State University, explains in this week's show. We also look at Big Bend National Park as a winter destination, and question a proposal to let for-profit businesses take over more national park campgrounds.

Erika Zambello talks with Houston Cypress of the “Love the Everglades Movement” about priorities for the tribes that have connections to the Everglades and using art to connect people to the River of Grass and Big Cypress. Professor John Freemuth, who holds the Cecil D. Andrus Endowed Chair for Environment and Public Lands at Boise State University, discusses some of the seemingly unprecedented actions and decisions being taken by the Interior Department and National Park Service.

Laurie Ward, executive director of Washington’s National Park Fund, discusses how her organization manages to support not just one, but three national parks. Ken Brower, son of the late David Brower, offers his take on whether ranching should be allowed at Point Reyes National Seashore, and we point out where in the National Park System you can find wildlife this fall.