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National Parks Traveler Podcast

National Parks Traveler Episode 108: Traveler's Calendar And Funding Bison Research

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In this week’s show, Contributing editor Kim O’Connell joins me to discuss some of the stories from across the country that we’re working on at the Traveler and will be rolling out on the Traveler in the weeks and months ahead. And Lynn Riddick has a short story about a unique fundraiser that’s giving Wind Cave National Park new tools to manage and learn about the genetically pure bison herd there. 

National Parks Traveler Episode 107: Rebuilding Coral Reefs At Dry Tortugas National Park

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Coral is a foundation species – one that creates the habitats that support biodiversity and provides essential shoreline protection. The waters of Dry Tortugas National Park, which lies about 60 miles to the west of Key West, Florida, are home to some 30 species of coral. One type –- Elkhorn Coral -- rises above the rest, literally and figuratively, for its importance in the region. It also happens to be the most threatened.  

National Parks Traveler Episode 106: Yellowstone Needs And Successes, Big Cypress Drilling

National Parks Traveler Episode 106

This week we continue our conversation with Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly on the state of his park. We discuss efforts to greatly reduce the number of invasive lake trout in Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone’s infrastructure needs, and some of the conservation projects park staff are working on.

National Parks Traveler Episode 105: Yellowstone's Covid Storm, Seeking Oil In Big Cypress

As Covid-19 swept across the country last year, it certainly created challenges for the National Park Service. Once parks opened, people flocked to them. But many parks were short of staff. Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly discusses the challenges his staff faced with Covid. Plus, Alison Kelly from the Natural Resources Defense Council brings us up to speed on a proposal to drill for oil in Big Cypress National Preserve.

National Parks Traveler Episode 104: The State Of National Park Philanthropy

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What’s the state of national park philanthropy? The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic a year ago impacted nonprofit organizations that work to support national parks. Many organizations that rely on retail sales for revenues had to close their outlets and layoff staff. How are things today?

National Park Foundation President Will Shafroth and Friends of Acadia President David MacDonald discuss Covid’s impact on nonprofits that support parks. 

National Parks Traveler Episode 102: New River Gorge's New Name, And Expanded Saguaro

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve and Saguaro National Park

One of the changes President Trump made possible before he left office was the renaming of New River Gorge National River in West Virginia to New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, and the expansion of Saguaro National Park in Arizona by about 1,200 acres. Both those changes were called for in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal 2021 that Congress passed in late December and which was signed into law by Trump.

Search-And-Rescue 101 In The National Park System

Each year, there are more than 1,000 search-and-rescue missions across the National Park System. Did you ever wonder how the rangers go about staging a SAR mission, as they're called. In this week's National Parks Traveler podcast, we talk to the SAR experts at Rocky Mountain National Park to better understand what's involved when the call goes out for help.

National Parks Traveler Episode 100: Parks, Endangered Species And The ESA

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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.

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