National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 200 | National Park Disaster Funding

By Jess Repanshek - December 11th, 2022

It’s been quite a year in the National Park System when the subject turns to unexpected bills. There was the historic flooding that hit Yellowstone National Park in June, monsoonal flooding that struck Death Valley National Park and Mojave National Preserve later this past summer, and even flooding at Vicksburg National Military Park that caused significant damage.

It’s well known that the National Park Service doesn’t have the financial resources and staffing that it needs on a daily basis to keep the National Park System not just running, but well maintained. As a result, we shouldn’t be too surprised when natural disasters such as flooding, wildfires, and even droughts strike and generate repair bills in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Dollars that the National Park Service doesn’t have just sitting in a bank account, ready to pay for repairs.

Today we’re going to explore the unexpected costs that have descended on the National Park Service, and how to pay for them, with John Garder, the National Parks Conservation Association’s senior director for budget and appropriations.

:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
:12 Episode Intro with Kurt Repanshek
:47 Beyond the Reef - Tim Heintz & Grant Geissman - Seascapes: A Musical Journey
1:20 Potrero Group
1:47 Washington’s National Park Fund
2:20 Yosemite Conservancy
2:48 Kurt Repanshek and John Garder, the National Parks Conservation Association's senior director for budget and appropriations, discuss national park disaster funding.
11:19 Wabanaki - Nature’s Symphony - The Sounds of Acadia
11:32 Traveler Promo
11:44 Great Smoky Mountains Association
12:05 Interior Federal Credit Union
12:28 Friends of Acadia
12:57 National park disaster funding with John Garder continues.
25:15 Amaranth - Bill Mize - The Sounds of the Great Smoky Mountains
25:32 Grand Teton National Park Foundation
26:01 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
26:22 The Everglades Foundation
26:37 National park disaster funding with John Garder continues.
44:21 Whispering Winds - Grant Geissman - Sounds of the Caribbean
44:44 Episode Closing
45:11 Orange Tree Productions
45:44 Splitbeard Productions
45:55 National Parks Traveler footer

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