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National Parks Traveler Podcast

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 266 | Polluting the Parks

NPS shot from Sequoia NP illustrating how wildfires contribute to air pollution woes in the parks

Air pollution and climate change impacts can have outsized effects on the National Park System, as well as lesser noticed but just as concerning effects. But are those impacts spread across the entire park system, or clustered around a few?

Back in 2019 the National Parks Conservation Association looked at how air pollution and climate change were impacting parks. They have updated that study with the latest data from the National Park Service, and the current state of affairs remains concerning.

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 264 | National Park Guidebooks

A goat on a hillside near Logan Pass, at Glacier National Park, by Kurt Repanshek

With nearly 430 units in the National Park System, of which 63 are National Parks, we all probably could use a little help in planning our adventures into the park system. But do you simply visit a park’s website to plan your trip? Find an online guidebook? Buy a hardcover guidebook? Or simply wing it when you reach your destination?

This is Kurt Repanshek, your host at the National Parks Traveler. I must confess, I’ve taken all three approaches, and I’ve even written a guidebook to the parks, and there’s probably a fair amount of guidebook material on the Traveler.

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.

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