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Sunset at the Flat Mountain Arm of Yellowstone Lake. Photo by Kurt Repanshek.

Crime happens, even in national parks, national forests, and other public lands. There are murders, thefts, robberies and all sorts of crime that we’d hope to escape by heading into the kingdom of public lands.
 
It can be hard to accept that national parks are not immune from criminals and crimes. Just this past Fourth of July there was a horrific incident in Yellowstone National Park when a concessions employees armed with an automatic rifle threatened to go on a killing spree. Law enforcement rangers who responded prevented that from happening, killing the man in the process, but it really underscored the reality that parks are not immune from crime.
 
To learn more about “crime off the grid,” we’re joined today by Tara Ross and Nancy Martinz, former law enforcement rangers in Yellowstone who these days work to educate the public about crime on public lands via their podcast, Crime Off The Grid.

0:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
0:12 Episode Intro with Kurt Repanshek
0:53 Flamingo - Tim Heintz - The Sounds of the Everglades
1:40 Friends of Acadia
2:06 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
2:28 Smokies Life
2:50 NPT Promo
3:04 Episode 296 - Crime Off The Grid
45:24 Shenandoah - Randy Petersen - The Sounds of Shenandoah
45:55 Episode Closing
46:27 Orange Tree Productions
47:00 Splitbeard Productions
47:11 National Parks Traveler footer

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National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 296 | Crime Off The Grid

Crime happens, even in national parks, national forests, and other public lands. There are murders, thefts, robberies and all sorts of crime that we’d hope to escape by heading into the kingdom of public lands.
 

October 13th, 2024 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 295 | The Aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene

Who could have predicted that Hurricane Helene would carry her fury from the Gulf of Mexico and the coast of Florida hundreds of miles north into Appalachia? While there were forecasts calling for the hurricane to be downgraded to a tropical storm and drop quite a bit of rain in the region, the extent of damage in western North Carolina has been breathtaking.

October 6th, 2024 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 294 | Rodanthe Beach Cleanup

The coastal town of Rodanthe, North Carolina is just a small spot on the map, but it’s a big place in the hearts of the people who live, own property, and vacation there. Located along Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Rodanthe has been in the national spotlight because of a succession of houses that have fallen into the Atlantic Ocean due to beach erosion. There have been ten houses affected in the past four years, and five this year alone. 

September 29th, 2024 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 293 | POWDR in Zion

Concessions are the backbone of the National Park System. True, the National Park Service manages the parks and the wildlife and the visitors, but the concessionaires provide you with a bed, or campsite, to sleep in, restaurants to dine in, and gift shops to browse in.

Xanterra Parks and Resorts is one of the key players in the national park concessions industry. They operate lodges in Yellowstone, Crater Lake, Death Valley, Glacier, Grand Canyon and, until the end of this year, Zion National Park.

September 22nd, 2024 Read More

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

The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

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

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