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National Parks Traveler Podcast

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 249 | Cape Hatteras Shorebirds and Sea Turtles

An image of a piping plover running on the beach

Throughout history the barrier islands that today are home to Cape Hatteras National Seashore have been attractive to wildlife. A variety of sea turtle species come ashore to lay their nests, and a variety of shorebirds settle there, too, to lay their eggs. 
But the thing with wildlife nesting on the beaches of Cape Hatteras is that one great season can be followed by a poor one. Influencing the outcome can be human disturbances, storms, and predation. 

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 248 | Budgetary Blues

An image of Turret Arch at Arches National Park

It was just over a month ago when the federal government was staring at the possibility of a shutdown. Well, little seemingly has changed in the ensuing four weeks, other than that the House of Representatives has a new speaker in Mike Johnson from Louisiana, and the full chamber has settled on its budget numbers for fiscal 2024…which started back on October 1.

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 247 | The Search for WPA Park Posters

Bison grazing in a field near Grand Teton National Park

When a young park ranger was asked by his supervisor to clean out an old barn at Grand Teton National Park in the early 1970s, he discovered a dusty and stained blue, grey, and green poster inviting folks to “Meet the Ranger Naturalist at Jenny Lake Museum". This young ranger, Doug Leen, soon discovered that it was one in a series of posters created by the Works Progress Administration to put artists to work and promote visitation to the national parks during the late 1930s.

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 246 | Extinction is Forever

A black and white image of an ivory-billed woodpecker

There are more than 2,000 species currently listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. And while species that gain protection under the act have a great chance to survive, not all do.
Just recently the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that 21 species – birds, fish, mussels, plants, and even a bat – were officially declared extinct. 

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 245 | Footprints in Time

An image of ancient footprints in sediment found near White Sands National Park

As you walk through the white gypsum sands of White Sands National Park in southern New Mexico, your footprints will likely be quickly erased by shifting winds. So it’s somewhat of a phenomenon of nature that the oldest footprints ever discovered in North America are not only found here — in perfect form, having withstood time and weather — but show that ancient humans lived here much earlier than previously believed. 

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 242 | 2023 Government Shutdown

A night time image of the Roosevelt Arch in Yellowstone National Park

For the second time in five years, and the third time in the past decade, the United States government was poised to shut down this weekend because of an impasse in the House of Representatives over how to fund the government. And, as a result, the National Park System was poised to shut down. 

However, an 11th-hour compromise was reached that will keep the government funded for another 45 days before it again might be poised for a shutdown.

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