National Parks Traveler Podcast | The Future of Grizzly Bears
National Parks Traveler Podcast
Release Date: 07/20/2025
National Parks Traveler Podcast | Historic Preservation
National Parks Traveler Podcast
We can’t escape history. We’re born into a world full of it, and we’re making it as we go from day to day. But how are we at preserving history? There’s been a lot of concern this year that the administration of President Donald Trump is altering, if not entirely trying to erase, history. But can that actually be done? The National Park Service, often called the nation’s storyteller, has been interpreting history for more than a century, and some of that interpretation revolves around sites that have lost their physical structures over the decades. Today's guest is Monica Rhodes,...
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National Parks Traveler Podcast | Government Shutdown Blues
National Parks Traveler Podcast
We’ve made it past Labor Day. Which means fall colors in some parts of the country aren’t too far off, seasonal wildlife migrations are getting under way, and summertime crowds in the national park system have thinned out. Fall is a glorious time to be out in the park system. The question right now, though, is how will the park system be functioning come October? That’s a very pertinent question, because the federal government is facing a shutdown on September 30 if Congress can’t come to terms on a budget for fiscal year 2026, which starts October 1. To consider the possible options,...
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National Parks Traveler Podcast | Bison Benefits
National Parks Traveler Podcast
Once upon a time, there were tens of millions of bison on the North American continent. Today, there are somewhere between 400,000 and 500,000. Most are in commercial herds, with a relative few in private herds and on public lands. Should there be more bison on the continent? There potentially is space for them on places like the 550,000-acre Thunder Basin National Grassland in Wyoming, the nearly 600,000-acre Buffalo Gap National Grassland in South Dakota, and the roughly 440,000-acre Comanche National Grassland in Colorado, just to name three locations. And a new study out this past week...
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National Parks Traveler Podcast | Rare Phenomena in the Parks
National Parks Traveler Podcast
It’s been said that the night skies are the other half of the National Park System. And it only makes sense, for when you’re in a park and the sun goes down you tend to look into the night sky to spot constellations or, if you’re lucky enough and in the right place, a comet overhead. Keeping that other half of the park system in mind, today’s podcast will be a somewhat dark one. Our guest is Jeff Pfaller, a fine arts photographer who spent five years capturing night skies over national parks and other public lands. A book coming out in October by Pfaller showcases synchronous fireflies...
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National Parks Traveler Podcast | Keeping Glacier Bay's Whales Safe
National Parks Traveler Podcast
Vessel-whale collisions are a significant concern in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, where nutrient-rich waters support a seasonal influx of humpback whales and other marine mammals. As one of the most visited marine parks in Alaska, Glacier Bay sees a high volume of vessel traffic, including cruise ships, tour boats, and private craft. This summer an adult humpback whale was seen with a fresh, one-foot gash behind its dorsal fin which appeared to be from contact with a boat propeller. This week the Traveler’s Lynn Riddick reaches out to biologist Chris Gabriele to discuss this...
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National Parks Traveler Podcast | Nature is Nonpartisan
National Parks Traveler Podcast
Is nature nonpartisan? Earlier this year we had an interview with Dr. Caleb Scoville from Tufts University, who received an Andrew Carnegie fellowship to explore whether environmental issues are highly partisan. It can certainly seem that here in America just about everything is partisan these days, but is nature partisan? As another of our guests pointed out, those who enjoy going out into nature come in all political flavors. That said, our guest today is Benji Backer, the driver behind the Nature is Nonpartisan campaign to get the American public – all of us – to convince the...
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National Parks Traveler Podcast | El Camino Real de los Tejas
National Parks Traveler Podcast
El Camino Real de Los Tejas is a network of trails that connected Spanish missions, settlements, and military outposts from Mexico through Texas and into Louisiana. Now a national historic trail, this road played a crucial role in the Spanish colonization of the region in the late 1600s. It served as a vital route for communication, trade, and military movement. Over time, that trail facilitated cultural exchange and interaction between Spanish settlers, indigenous peoples, and later, Anglo-American pioneers. The 2500 mile route is marked by numerous historical sites, including mission...
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National Parks Traveler Podcast | Theresa Pierno
National Parks Traveler Podcast
The National Parks Conservation Association is almost as old as the National Park Service. The Service, as you probably know, was established in 1916, and NPCA came along three years later. Through the 106-year history of NPCA, there has been only one woman who held the title of president and Chief Executive Officer. That woman is Theresa Pierno, who has worked for the park advocacy group for more than two decades, and as NPCA’s CEO and president for the past ten years. At the end of this year Theresa will step down from the organization, but she won’t stop advocating for the parks....
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National Parks Traveler Podcast | The Future of Grizzly Bears
National Parks Traveler Podcast
Grizzly bears. They define charismatic megafauna. Huge animals that draw both human admiration and fear. Once they roamed the entire country, though that was a long time ago. Today there are pockets of grizzly bear populations in the Rocky Mountains from Yellowstone to Glacier National Parks. Among the questions that revolve around grizzly bears is how many are too many, are they a threat to humans, should they be removed from the landscape, or protected? To explore those issues our guests today are Erin Edge and Joseph Vaile from Defenders of Wildlife, a nonprofit wildlife advocacy...
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National Parks Traveler Podcast | Appalachian Trail Crowds
National Parks Traveler Podcast
Running nearly 2,200 miles along the spine of the Appalachian Range from Georgia to Maine, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail arguably is the world's most famous long-distance trail. Some think it's also one that can be very crowded in spots. Morgan Sommerville, the director of visitor use management for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, joins us today to discuss the trail in general and whether it's too crowded.
info_outlineGrizzly bears. They define charismatic megafauna. Huge animals that draw both human admiration and fear. Once they roamed the entire country, though that was a long time ago. Today there are pockets of grizzly bear populations in the Rocky Mountains from Yellowstone to Glacier National Parks.
Among the questions that revolve around grizzly bears is how many are too many, are they a threat to humans, should they be removed from the landscape, or protected?
To explore those issues our guests today are Erin Edge and Joseph Vaile from Defenders of Wildlife, a nonprofit wildlife advocacy organization.