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National Parks Traveler Podcast

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 263 | Staying Safe At Hawai'i Volcanoes

A crowd watching a night time volcano eruption at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park is such a unique destination in the National Park System. Located on the Big Island, it’s surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, it has rainforests, and it boasts two active volcanoes in Mauna Loa and Kilauea.
 
A visit to Hawai’i Volcanoes comes with a number of options. Do you simply hope to catch an eruption of Kilauea and head somewhere else in Hawaii, do you explore the backcountry with its more than 160 miles of trails, or you try to soak in the Hawaiian culture?
 

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 260 | California Mountain Lions

Trail camera image of mountain lion P-35

Mountain lions are an incredibly charismatic animal on landscapes within, and adjacent to, the National Park System. But they’re seldom seen because of their nocturnal tendencies.
 
There recently was a new report that focused on a comprehensive estimate of mountain lions in California, and the number is much smaller than many had thought it was.
 

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 258 | National Park Reservation Systems

A line of cars waiting to enter Mount Rainier, photo by Rebecca Latson

Mount Rainier National Park is the most recent unit of the National Park System to announce that you’ll need a reservation to enter the most popular areas of the park during the busy summer months. At the same time, Shenandoah National Park has announced that a pilot program it’s been running for two years for access to Old Rag will be permanent going forward.

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 257 | The Future of the Endangered Species Act

A bald eagle flying over a river, photo by Rebecca Latson

When Congress passed the Endangered Species Act in 1973, it said that species of fish, wildlife, and plants in the US have been rendered extinct as a consequence of economic growth and development untampered by adequate concern and conservation. Other species of fish, wildlife, and plants have been so depleted in numbers that they are in danger of, or threatened with, extinction.

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 256 | Golden Spike National Historical Park

Jupiter steam locomotive at Golden Spike National Historical Park

As a young boy growing up in New Jersey, a year-end holiday treat was setting up our model railroad. It gave me and my two brothers hours of fun and an opportunity to learn a little about the steam age of railroads. Our first railroad featured Lionel O gauge locomotives and cars. Later we moved into HO gauge trains, and many years later I had an N gauge layout.

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 255 | 2023 Park System Year in Review Part 2

Feral horses at Theodore Roosevelt National Monument by Alexandria Shankweile

We’re closing out the year with a look back at some of the top stories around the National Park System, and involving the National Park Service. We opened this look a week ago with Kristen Brengel from the National Parks Conservation Association and Mike Murray from the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, discussing issues involving the National Park Service and outside impacts affecting the National Park System. 

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 254 | 2023 Park System Year in Review Part 1

An image of a range of snowy mountains, NPS photo, by Patrick Myers

The past year has been a trying one for the National Park Service, and for many of the units in the National Park System. For the agency, employee morale continued to be a major issue as housing, pay, and leadership remained sore spots for many who worked for the Service.
On the ground, climate change continued to impact parks, from sea level rise and more potent storms, to wildfires, and hotter and dryer conditions that adversely affected vegetation, wildlife, and facilities.

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