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In this week's episode, we talk with Gemina Garland-Lewis, a photographer, EcoHealth researcher, and National Geographic Explorer about her work in the parks, and how that has changed the way she experiences parks themselves.

Next, we pay a visit to the Schoodic Peninsula in Acadia National Park, a quieter part of the National Park System. Finally, we end with a look at Walnut Canyon and Montezuma Castle national monuments, which are easy day trips from Flagstaff, Arizona, that open windows into past cultures.

:12 Introduction with Erika Zambello
1:50 Introduction to Gemina Garland-Lewis interview
2:36 Interview with Gemina Garland-Lewis
14:18 National Parks Traveler promotion
14:35 RVShare.com promotion
15:09 Yankee Freedom promotion
15:46 North Cascades Institute promotion
16:06 Interview with Gemina Garland-Lewis continues
26:49 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation promotion
27:17 Yosemite Conservancy promotion
27:54 Visiting the Schoodic Peninsula at Acadia National Park
32:51 Friends of Acadia promotion
33:20 Washington's National Park Fund promotion
33:58 Exploring Arizona Monuments, Part 2
40:33 Orange Tree Productions promotion

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 328 | How Wild

Today our guest is Marissa Ortega-Welch, a San Francisco-based freelance journalist who focuses on environmental issues. Last year she generated a series of podcasts surrounding the topic of official wilderness – the history of official wilderness and the idea of wilderness. It’s an interesting series that you can find by searching for How Wild wherever you download your podcasts.

June 8th, 2025 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 327 | Plight of the Parks

So much is happening so quickly to the National Park Service. There have been staff reductions, hiring freezes, spending freezes, orders from the Interior Secretary to make sure that visitors find national parks welcoming, no matter what it takes.

June 1st, 2025 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 326 | Environmental Partisanship

Is green a red and blue construct? Put another way, is there a political partisan divide over the environment?

That’s a particularly interesting question, no doubt more so in recent years as the country seems to have drifted farther and farther apart because of our political beliefs. To that point, a reader reached out the other day to say our stories shouldn’t be negative on the Trump Administration because the national parks are going to need the help of all of us - Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and everything in-between - to survive.

May 25th, 2025 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 325 | Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility

News around public lands these days seems to revolve entirely around the Trump administration. In the case of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, many of the steps the administration is taking with the operational efficiencies of the National Park Service and other land management agencies certainly are keeping PEER busy.
 

May 18th, 2025 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 324 | North American Bird Declines

True birders are some of the most determined and persistent hobbyists out there. If you want to call bird watching a hobby. For many, it’s more like a passion. Many look forward to “Big Day” competitions, where individuals and teams strive to see how many different bird species they can spot in a 24-hour period.

May 11th, 2025 Read More

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