You are here

Share

In this week’s show, we’re taking a look at some of the crowding issues that national park managers are struggling to address. But this one at Gulf Islands National Seashore in Florida is a bit more unusual than many others. You might have heard about Crab Island, Florida. It’s a lively spot within the national seashore that attracts throngs of partiers, personal watercraft, and businesses that sell everything from frozen bananas to hot boiled peanuts.  

What’s wrong with that? Well, not only are there fatalities associated with this partying, but this "island" really is just a submerged sand bar, and it serves as a vital nursery area for Gulf of Mexico fisheries and has been identified as a critical resource in the national seashore.

This area -- with its dozens of unauthorized floating food vendors, bars, and large moored structures -- has been for the most part unregulated and unmanaged over the past decade or so due to jurisdiction complexities between the National Park Service, the state of Florida, Okaloosa County and Eglin Air Force Base.  

So to determine an appropriate level of commercial activity in this area and its relation to the severe safety and environmental problems there, the National Park Service has begun developing a Commercial Services Strategy that will provide a guide to regulating and managing the area.  

Traveler’s Lynn Riddick reached out to Gulf Islands Superintendent Dan Brown to discuss the early stages of strategy development, including the collection of public input from various commercial stakeholders.

:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
:12 Episode introduction with Kurt Repanshek
1:58 Beyond the Reef - Tim Heintz and Grant Geissman - Seascapes: A Musical Journey
2:51 Western National Parks Association promotion
3:15 WildTribute.com promotion
3:39 Friends of Acadia promotion
4:14 Gulf Islands National Seashore Supt. Dan Brown discusses the issues at Crab Island with Lynn Riddick
26:13 Whispering Winds - Grant Geissman - Sounds of the Caribbean
26:27 National Parks Traveler promotion
26:43 Washington’s National Park Fund promotion
27:18 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation promotion
27:41 Grand Teton National Park Foundation promotion
28:13 North Cascades Institute promotion
28:37 Supt. Brown's conversation with Lynn Riddick over Crab Island issues continues
46:23 Caribbean Song - Tim Heintz - The Sounds of the Everglades
46:38 Gulf Islands National Seashore has a mobile app for you
48:37 Episode Closing
49:00 Orange Tree Productions promotion
49:34 Splitbeard Productions
49:47 National Parks Traveler footer

Add comment

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 319 | Kilauea's Unrest

One of the greatest shows on Earth has been going on now for several months in Hawaii, where the Kīlauea volcano at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park has been erupting since late December. The Kīlauea volcano is the most active volcano on Earth.

March 30th, 2025 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 318 | Covering the Parks

There are more stories to be found in the National Park System than one could write in a lifetime. Or several lifetimes.

Sometimes those stories can be hard to spot. How many were aware of the factoid from Great Smoky Mountains National Park that Jennifer Bain dug up, that if you stacked up all of the park’s salamanders against its roughly 1,900 black bears, the salamanders would weigh more?

Talk about national park trivia.

March 23rd, 2025 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 317 | A Little Volcanic Levity

In this week’s podcast we thought we’d take a break from the unsettling news happening in and around our national parks and federal lands regarding park staff reductions and threats of reducing park boundaries to make way for mining.  

March 16th, 2025 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 316 | National Park Service Upheaval

There is, across the country, some upheaval going on as the Trump administration works to reduce the size of the federal government. Whether you support that effort or oppose it, you can’t deny there’s not upheaval going on.

March 9th, 2025 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 315 | Threatened Lands

Across the United States there are hundreds of millions of acres of public lands. Indeed, there are more than 500 million acres of federal lands managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, and the National Park Service, just to name the three largest land managers in federal government.

March 2nd, 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.