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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.

In this week’s show, Lynn Riddick helps me present you with a story that explores the question of expanding the National Park System for the sake of biodiversity. If you prefer reading the story, rather than having it narrated to you, the long-form post is on the Traveler.

At the end of our story about expanding the park system, Lynn returns with a short audio postcard from Big Cypress National Preserve.

:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
:12 Episode Intro with Kurt Repanshek
1:03 Shenandoah - Randy Petersen - The Sounds of Shenandoah
1:21 Potrero Group
1:47 Great Smoky Mountains Association
2:08 Yosemite Conservancy
2:32 Interior Federal Credit Union
3:00 National Parks Expansion
25:21 Flamingo - Tim Heintz - The Sounds of the Everglades
25:39 NPT Promo
25:52 Friends of Acadia
26:17 The Everglades Foundation
26:28 Grand Teton National Park Foundation
26:58 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
27:20 Washington’s National Park Fund
27:56 Exploring Big Cypress with Lynn Riddick
36:00 No’easter - Nature’s Symphony - The Sounds of Acadia
36:28 Episode Closing
36:46 Orange Tree Productions
38:19 Splitbeard Productions
38:29 National Parks Traveler footer

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With the summer vacation season not too far off, no doubt many National Park Service Superintendents are trying to figure out how to manage the crowds and avoid impacts to natural resources in the park system.

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Smokies Life, which most of you who closely follow Great Smoky Mountains National Park know was previously known as the Great Smoky Mountains Association, produces educational and informational materials for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This week we’re joined by Laurel Rematore, the chief executive officer of Smokies Life, to discuss the name change as well as how her organization lends a big hand to the Park Service staff at Great Smoky. 

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Have you ever closely inspected the landscape when you’re touring the National Park System, particularly in the West? You never know what you might find.
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If you’ve ever visited Petrified Forest National Park you’ve no doubt marveled over the colorful fossilized tree trunks. There are also fossilized trees on the northern range of Yellowstone National Park, but nowhere near as colorful.

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Wolverines, the largest land-dwelling members of the weasel family, once roamed across the northern tier of the United States, and as far south as New Mexico in the Rockies and southern California in the Sierra Nevada range. But after more than a century of trapping and habitat loss, wolverines in the lower 48 today exist only as small, fragmented populations in Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming, and northeast Oregon.

April 21st, 2024 - Read More

Spur a discussion about traveling to a national park for a vacation and odds are that it will revolve around getting out into nature, looking for wildlife, perhaps honing your photography skills, or marveling at incredible vistas.
Will the discussion include destinations that portray aspects of the country’s history, or cultural melting pot? 

April 14th, 2024 - Read More

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

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

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.