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A manatee floating underwater with a school of fish below it. USFWS photo.

Manatees are some of the most unusual looking wildlife creatures that you’ll find in coastal units of the National Park System, places like Everglades National Park, Biscayne National Park and Cumberland Island National Seashore

They are huge – the largest on record reportedly tipped the scales at 3500 pounds and was 13 feet long – and rather bulbous looking. 

But manatees are also an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. There are many threats to manatees along the Southeastern coastline of the United States, from power boaters to shrinking shorelines, and even climate change impacts.

To learn more about these interesting mammals and the struggles they face to build their populations, we’re joined today by Tiare Fridlich, a manatee biologist with the Save the Manatee Club

0:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
0:12 Episode Intro with Kurt Repanshek
0:54 Beyond the Reef - Tim Heintz & Grant Geissman - Seascapes: A Musical Journey
1:11 Friends of Acadia
1:38 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
2:00 Smokies Life
2:22 NPT Promo
2:38 Episode 286 - Save the Manatee
43:40 Torch - Bill Mize - The Sounds of the Everglades
44:08 Episode Closing
44:29 Orange Tree Productions
45:01 Splitbeard Productions
45:12 National Parks Traveler footer

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National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 292 | Voyageurs Wolf Project

The National Park System is an incredible reservoir of wildlife, from charismatic animals such as grizzly bears, bison and wolves, to animals such as moose, and pronghorn and sea turtles that, while not usually labeled as charismatic, are indeed just that.

Wolves certainly fall under the charismatic megafauna classification. They're majestic and mystifying, and perhaps even lend some romanticism to your backcountry adventures if you are lucky enough to hear a pack howling in chorus after sundown. 

September 15th, 2024 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 291 | Campaign for the Parks

It was back in 1967 when the Congress chartered the National Park Foundation to serve as the official charity of the National Park Service, and over the decades it has raised millions of dollars for the parks.
 
The Foundation is in the midst of its Campaign for National Parks, a billion-dollar campaign that has already raised $815 million. A big chunk of that total came from a recent $100 million grant that greatly moved the foundation closer to its billion-dollar goal.
 

September 8th, 2024 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 290 | Miserable Mammoth Cave

Have you ever been to Mammoth Cave National Park? It’s really not that impressive, is it? Sure, it’s more than 425 miles long, but only about 10 miles are open to the public.
September 1st, 2024 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 289 | Climate Change Impacts on Acadia

From Maine to Florida, coastal units of the National Park System are being impacted in various ways by the changing climate. Some of the impacts affect wildlife, some natural resources, and some the human populations who either live in or come to visit these beautiful areas.
 
At the National Parks Traveler. We’ve been working on a series of stories looking at these changes that are showing up.
 

August 25th, 2024 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 288 | Lassen Peak's Volcanics

When you hear the word volcano, where in the world do you think of? Mount Vesuvious in Italy? Mount Fuji in Japan? Maybe Cotopaxi in Ecuador? Do you ever think of Lassen Peak?
 
The National Park System is full of volcanoes. Some active, some dormant, some extinct. They all have fascinating stories to tell. 
 
There was a series of eruptions of Lassen Peak in Northern California between 1914 and 1917, with the 1915 eruption largely playing a role in the establishment of Lassen Volcanic National Park

August 18th, 2024 Read More

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.