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Great Smoky Mountains National Park

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 233 | National Parks Expansion For Biodiversity

an image of an American Kestrel bird

Why expand the National Park System? That can be a controversial question. There are many folks who would love to see additional units added, and there are just as many who say the National Park Service does not have the staff or funding to adequately maintain the existing park system.

We’ve been exploring that question in recent weeks and months, and an argument can be made that since national parks carry the highest protection of natural resources in the country, we should expand the park system to better protect biodiversity and, if possible, help it grow.

Pedal Power: Experience Cades Cove In Great Smoky Mountains National Park

In Tennessee, Great Smokey Mountains National Park harbors a one-way road in bucolic Cades Cove. Its 11-mile paved loop is loaded with scenery, historical sites, and wildlife. But we’d heard about the cove’s famed car jams due to around two million annual visitors: lines of vehicles inching slowly along the road and parking lot congestion that prevented stopping at sites. Clearly, the car approach did not appeal to my sister or me!

Sites Added To Reconstruction Era National Historic Network

The National Park Service has added eight sites to the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network, which connects sites that provide education, interpretation and research related to the period of Reconstruction. The Reconstruction Era (1861-1900) is one of the most fascinating and misunderstood periods in American History and includes stories of freedom, education and self-determination, according to the National Park Service.

Supreme Court Wetlands Ruling Called Damaging To National Parks

A ruling Thursday by the U.S. Supreme Court that limits the federal government's Clean Water Act oversight of water pollution impacting wetlands is damaging to national parks from Everglades National Park and Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Indiana Dunes National Park and other units of the National Park System, according to the National Parks Conservation Association.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Bookstores Carrying New Children’s Title To Help Protect Wildlife

As days lengthen and temperatures rise, black bears in national parks all across the country begin to move around the forest in search of insects, nuts, and berries. But they also venture beyond the parks’ boundaries, making their way into gateway communities to look for food. In cities and towns surrounding popular destinations like Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this situation can pose a serious threat to bears and humans alike — increasing the need to educate park visitors of all ages on proper bear etiquette and food storage practices.

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