National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 254 | 2023 Park System Year in Review Part 1

By Jess Repanshek - December 24th, 2023

The past year has been a trying one for the National Park Service, and for many of the units in the National Park System. For the agency, employee morale continued to be a major issue as housing, pay, and leadership remained sore spots for many who worked for the Service.
On the ground, climate change continued to impact parks, from sea level rise and more potent storms, to wildfires, and hotter and dryer conditions that adversely affected vegetation, wildlife, and facilities.
With time running out on 2023, and 2024 on the horizon, we’re going to be taking a look this week and next at many of the top stories that played out, or are playing out, across the National Park System and the National Park Service. Joining us for the conversation are Mike Murray, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, and Kristen Brengel, the Vice President of Government Affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association.

0:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
0:12 Episode Intro with Kurt Repanshek
0:44 Amaranth - Bill Mize - The Sounds of the Great Smoky Mountains
1:13 Xplorer Maps
1:34 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
1:56 Friends of Acadia
2:27 Episode 254 - 2023 Park System Year in Review
27:05 Torch - Bill Mize - The Sounds of the Everglades
27:22 NPT Promo
27:34 Interior Federal Credit Union
28:01 Yosemite Conservancy
28:23 Washington’s National Park Fund
28:58 Episode 254 - 2023 Park System Year in Review Continues
48:39 Whispering Winds - Grant Geissman - The Sounds of the Caribbean
48:56 Great Smoky Mountains Association
49:17 Grand Teton National Park Foundation
49:46 Potrero Group
50:13 The Everglades Foundation
50:29 Episode 254 - 2023 Park System Year in Review Continues
1:03:07 Escalante - Tim Heintz - The Sounds of Peaks, Plateaus and Canyons
1:03:23 Episode Closing
1:03:40 Orange Tree Productions
1:04:13 Splitbeard Productions
1:04:23 National Parks Traveler footer

Bryce Canyon National Park

National Parks Traveler Podcast

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

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 323 | Walt Dabney and Public Lands

It’s fair to say that the nation’s public lands, those managed by the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service and other federal land-management agencies are at risk under the Trump administration.

There’s no hyperbole in that statement if you pay attention to what the administration already has done in terms of downsizing those agencies’ workforces, and when you listen to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum say he wants to open more public lands to energy development and mining.

May 4th, 2025 Read More

INN Member

The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

Here’s the definitive guide to National Park System campgrounds where RVers can park their rigs.

Our app is packed with RVing- specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 national parks.

You’ll also find stories about RVing in the parks, tips helpful if you’ve just recently become an RVer, and useful planning suggestions.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks