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National Park podcasts, best national park podcasts, Coronavirus in the parks

In this week’s show, we’re focusing on the current coronavirus pandemic as well as the 1918 flu pandemic and how those diseases impacted national park visitation. After discussing those two pandemics with Professor Terence Young from California Polytechnic State University, we visit with contributing writer Rita Beamish, who tried to escape the current pandemic by taking to the John Muir Trail for nine days. She found that many other hikers were being careful by keeping their distance and wearing face masks when necessary, while others were more cavalier.

:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
:12 Episode introduction with Kurt Repanshek
1:34 Escalante - Tim Heintz - The Sounds of Peaks, Plateaus and Canyons
1:49 A discussion with Professor Terrence Young on how pandemics impacted national park visitation.
14:52 Flamingo - Tim Heintz - The Sounds of the Everglades
15:04 National Parks Traveler promotion
15:19 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation promotion
15:43 Friends of Acadia promotion
16:12 Grand Teton National Park Foundation promotion
16:49 Pandemics and national park visitation continues
29:47 The Road Scholar - Bill Mize - The Spirit of South Dakota
30:19 North Cascades Institute promotion
30:43 Washington’s National Park Fund promotion
31:20 On The Covid Trail: Rita Beamish discusses her John Muir Trail trek
40:39 Amaranth - Bill Mize - The Sounds of the Great Smoky Mountains
41:03 Episode Closing
41:50 Orange Tree Productions promotion
42:26 Splitbeard Productions
42:41 National Parks Traveler footer

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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