Dan Wenk, who spent four decades working for the National Park Service, shares his views on the current state of the agency and the National Park System. Host Kurt Repanshek discusses efforts to plan a restoration of the Tidal Basin at the National Mall and Memorial Parks with Katherine Malone-France of the National Trust for…
Category: National Park Traveler
National Parks Traveler – Crafters Work To Create The National Park Tempestry Project
I remember when my very first Tempestry arrived in the mail. Pulling out the list of instructions, I held the bright, tightly wound balls of yarn in my palm, contemplating the data they would eventually reveal to me. A science and fiber project, each row of each Tempestry represents the high temperature of a single…
National Parks Traveler – Birding in Katahdin Woods and Waters Podcast
Utah State University wildlife researcher Dr. Dan MacNulty discusses wolves, bears, elk and other prey and predators in Yellowstone National Park in this week’s episode, while Erika Zambello (me!) talks birding in Katadhin Woods and Waters National Monument with Doug Hitchcox of Maine Audubon. Host Kurt Repanshek wraps up the episode with a look at…
National Parks Traveler – Sign My Name To Freedom
Betty Reid Soskin is the oldest ranger in the National Park System, currently serving at the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park in California. At 97, she gives presentations to visitors describing her own experiences during WWII serving as a clerk in a Jim Crow union hall, as well as her memories of both…
National Parks Traveler – Lionfish Podcast
This week’s all new National Parks Traveler podcast features my interview with Alex Fogg, Marine Resource Coordinator at Okaloosa County, FL. We discuss his history of diving, the lionfish invasion, and how these voracious fish affect our national parks. Listen to the entire podcast here: https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2019/03/national-parks-traveler-episode-4-lionfish-invasion
National Parks Traveler – Battling Lionfish at Biscayne Bay
Lionfish. Impossibly beautiful, incredibly invasive. Arriving on Florida’s shores in the 20th century, the initial lionfish population invasion probably resulted from an accidental or intentional release from a hobbyist fish tank. Since then, their numbers have exploded, stretching across the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Reef species, lionfish cruise these aquatic habitats for prey, both outcompeting…
National Parks Traveler – Places You Can Knit: Rocky Mountain National Park
My husband and I went from 0 to 11,000 feet in less than 24 hours. That was not my intention. We planned a trip from Florida to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado for one of my freelance writing projects, and originally scheduled a day in Denver (at 5,280 feet in elevation) to acclimate. Frontier Airlines…
National Parks Traveler – Elephant Seals Take Over New Beach In Point Reyes National Seashore
The first time I visited Point Reyes National Seashore, the Elephant Seals became an instant highlight. Viewed from an overlook near Chimney Rock, we peered down at their bronze forms through binoculars. At the time, I wrote: “The male Elephant Seals are huge, and I was happy to watch them at our safe distance. Think Elephant Seals…
National Parks Traveler – Legacy on the Land Book Review
“I saw a big connection between our disrespect for nature and the disrespect we show to ourselves and for each other” – Audrey Peterman. Many national park enthusiasts can recite the history of the system or their favorite site by memory. They laud the conservationists and leaders who knew we must protect precious natural landscapes…
National Parks Traveler – Running National Parks On Shoestrings Brought Varied Economic Results
Florida is home to two of the seven national seashores in the National Park System, and they are affected differently than traditional parks with road access. Because both Gulf Islands National Seashore in northwest Florida and Canaveral National Seashore in east-central Florida have miles of beach facing the water, it’s difficult if not impossible to…
National Parks Traveler – Some Parks Faring Better Than Others In The Government Shutdown
As the government shutdown continues, some national parks are faring better than others. While sites like Joshua Tree have garnered world-wide attention for the tragic destruction of cultural and natural resources, other parks have retained more normalcy. This report comes from three National Geographic Young Explorers across the country. Continue this post on National Parks…
National Parks Traveler – Searching for the Abaco Parrot
Tall pine trees wave overhead, filtering the bright Bahamas sunshine through a canopy of thick needles. Tangled vegetation and underbrush lines the trail at Abaco National Park, reminding me of my home in Northwest Florida. My husband and I strolled through Abaco National Park with one mission in mind: spotting an Abaco Parrot. Read the…
