You are here

Share
National Parks Traveler podcast

This week we pick up with the musings of Doug Leen.  As a young park ranger in the 1970s, Leen stumbled upon a poster promoting a meet-the-ranger event at the Grand Teton National Park.  It turned out to be one of 14 long-forgotten silk-screened posters made under the Works Progress Administration to promote tourism to the national parks. 

In the 50 years since that discovery, Leen has been searching high and low for the rest of the missing posters.  His efforts have yielded noteworthy success, stirring up widespread interest in the posters and evolving into a thriving printing business of his own.

As Lynn Riddick continues her talk with Doug, he discusses his business, Ranger Doug’s Enterprises, and how the popularity of the posters has generated millions of dollars in revenue for the national parks. 

We also check in with Earl Brechlin, the communications director for Friends of Acadia, to get the latest on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting that friends group and how it is responding.

Catch the first half of Lynn Riddick's conversation with Doug Leen in National Parks Traveler Episode 62.

:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
:12 Episode introduction with Kurt Repanshek
1:33 Spring Fever - Bill Mize - The Sounds of the Everglades
1:59 Friends of Acadia promotion
2:29 North Cascades Institute promotion
2:48 Yankee Freedom promotion
3:30 Lynn Riddick's conversation with Ranger Doug, Doug Leen, continues with a focus on his reproduction WPA park posters.
24:07 Black Woods - Nature’s Symphony - The Sounds of Acadia
24:30 National Parks Traveler coronavirus promotion
24:43 Washington’s National Park Fund promotion
25:20 Grand Teton National Park Foundation promotion
25:51 RVShare.com promotion
26:25 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation promotion
27:00 Friends of Acadia Communications Director Earl Brechlin discusses how coronavirus is impacting the friends organization.
36:14 Otter Point - Nature’s Symphony - The Sounds of Acadia
36:46 Episode closing
37:04 Orange Tree Productions promotion
37:40 National Parks Traveler footer

Add comment

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 312 | The Ghost Forest

National parks are home to many iconic trees. Bristlecones pines, Whitebark pines, Sequoias, even mangroves. And, of course, redwoods.

These trees hold many stories. The size alone of redwoods and sequoias are enough to hold your attention. But there are backstories, as well. In the case of redwoods along the Northern California coast, the backstory can be heart-breaking. There are chapters of logging fever, of course, as well as of political machinations, and stories of loss.

February 9th, 2025 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 311 | Keeping Cape Lookout Above Water

Rising sea levels, stronger storms, eroding shorelines, and sinking terrain are taking a toll on the fragile ecosystems and historic resources at Cape Lookout National Seashore on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  A new study by the U.S. Geological Survey takes a close look at these threats and predicts how they will impact the national seashore over the coming years.
 

February 2nd, 2025 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 310 | Parks Under Pressure

Here we are, a week into the second administration of President Donald Trump. It’s certainly a time of change, some of which is expected, and some perhaps not. Do we really need to rename North America’s tallest mountain, Denali in Denali National Park and Preserve?

There is much going on in the federal government, and not all is good. Hiring freezes are underway. There’s much talk about reducing the federal budget, which requires cutting agency funding.

January 26th, 2025 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 309 | Yellowstone Wolves at 30

There are sounds that wake you up out of a deep sleep, only to be dismissed as you fall back to sleep. And then there are sounds that rivet you, make you sit bolt upright.

That was the type of sound that woke us while we were deep in the backcountry of Yellowstone National Park. Sunrise hadn’t yet come, yet we were wide awake, listening to one of the most mesmerizing sounds you can encounter in the wilds: The melodious rising and falling howl of a wolf.

January 12th, 2025 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 308 | Threatened and Endangered Parks

We’re five days into 2025, and already there’s a lot of news concerning national parks and the National Park Service. Traveler Editor-in-Chief Kurt Repanshek is joined today by Contributing Editor Kim O’Connell to discuss the Traveler’s 4th Annual Threatened and Endangered Park Series and other recent park-related news. 

January 5th, 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

FREE for iPhones and Android phones.